GIFT  OF 


~£ 


THE  VOICE  OF  ISIS 


THE  VOICE  OF  ISIS 

By  the  Teacher  of 
(Writer  of  tlj*  15 


Transcribed  by 
HARRIETTE  AUGUSTA  CURTISS,  P.  O.  IS 

and 

F.  HOMER  CURTISS,  B.  S.,  M.  D.,  F.  O.  15 
Secretary  of  the  Order. 


PUBLISHED  FOR  THE  ORDER 
BY 

THE   CURTISS   BOOK   COMPANY 
LOS  ANGELES,  1912 


Copyrighted  1912 

by 

F.  HOMER  CURTISS,  M.  D. 
Los  Angeles,  Cal. 


J 


The  Hicks-Judd  Company 
Printers  and  Bookbinders 
51-65  First  St.,  San  Francisco 


TABLE  OF   CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   I. 
LIFE'S  DUTIES. 

Physical  weariness  preventing  study — real  duties  and 
assumed  duties — household  or  business  cares — make 
all  yield  their  lessons — how  to  find  time  for  meditation 
— the  attitude  of  mind  to  hold — your  real  duty — joining 
organized  movements — carrying  the  Silence  with  you 
— what  you  really  worship — highest  duty  that  which 
is  nearest — doing  others'  duties  depletes  you  and  robs 
them — attainment  of  self-poise — nothing  confronts  you 
that  is  not  a  step — watch  for  the  little  joys — each  heart 
a  deep  well — your  star  of  destiny — thought-currents 
moulding  the  body — the  sanctuary,  what  should  occupy 
it — the  Place  of  Peace. 

CHAPTER   II. 

THE   CYCLE   OF   FULFILLMENT. 

1912  begins  an  important  cycle — solar  system  enters 
Aquarius — the  Year  of  Jubilee — the  lower  must  be 
reaped  first — influence  of  Uranus  in  Aquarius — cyclic 
cataclysms — the  Law  of  Divine  Harmony — the  swas- 
tika— illustration  of  the  dough — key-note  of  a  storm 
— every  planet  is  tested — origin  of  comets — alchem- 
ical changes  within  the  earth — the  effect  of  the  stars 
on  each  other — certain  forces  only  now  reaching  the 
earth — planets  destined  to  become  suns — thought-force 
of  a  planet  its  key-note — Saturn  the  Initiator — earth  the 
new  note — the  Sign  of  the  Son  of  Man — reign  of 
Aquarius  2170  years — cycle  of  fulfillment  for  each 
nation  and  organization — reasons  for  poverty  and 
sickness  —  earth  evolving  toward  sunhood  —  find  the 
Place  of  Peace. 


255383 


Contents 
CHAPTER  III. 

DEGREES  AND  ORDERS. 

The  seven-fold  division  of  the  cosmos — the  geom- 
etry of  Nature — geometrical  law  in  the  mental  world 
— the  Great  White  Lodge,  how  constituted — what  is 
a  Master? — Masters  affinitized  to  all  stages  of  evolu- 
tion and  classes  of  thought — the  seven  Degrees  of  Hu- 
manity— seven  Orders  in  each  Degree — the  great 
Fourth  Degree — it  includes  all  advanced  movements — 
its  Orders — how  the  Orders  are  formed — positive  and 
negative  Orders — the  Order  of  the  36 — the  Order  of 
the  28— the  Order  of  the  21— The  Order  of  the  15— 
its  former  manifestations — the  Holy  Grail — the  Order 
of  the  10 — the  higher  Orders  as  yet  unmanifested — 
the  great  Third  Degree,  Divinity. 

CHAPTER   IV. 

THE  WISDOM   RELIGION. 

Originally  given  to  all  mankind — existed  many  cen- 
turies before  Christianity — the  esoteric  doctrines — the 
reasons  for  esoterism — the  Wisdom  still  preserved — 
how  to  seek — fearlessness  required — "when  the  pupil 
is  ready  the  Teacher  appears" — how  to  come  close — 
disciples  must  be  proved — compassion  the  result — the 
union  with  the  Divine,  how  accomplished — the  Path  of 
Attainment — realization  in  the  flesh. 

CHAPTER  V. 

CONCERNING  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  HELL  FIRE. 

The  Bible  an  allegory — scriptures  universally  true — 
teachings  of  the  Johannites — use  of  myths — the  Path 


Contents 

of  At-one-ment — Hebrew  symbols — journey  of  the 
awakened  Soul — the  Master  Jesus,  a  historical  person- 
age— Our  Lord  crucified  in  Sodom — hell-fire  a  bogie — 
its  significance — the  lake  which  burneth — symbology 
of  brimstone — gases  gathering  for  cataclysms — body 
sees  corruption — all  pass  through  karmic  burnings — 
The  Christ  must  descend  into  hell — hell-fire  consumes 
only  the  false — must  weave  immortal  garments — the 
New  Jerusalem. 

CHAPTER   VI. 

THE   ELEVENTH    COMMANDMENT 

After  the  awakening  a  depression — fear  of  the  step 
taken — the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death — the  eleventh 
commandment  —  the  duodecimal  system  —  choosing 
your  standard  of  life — find  out  your  business  and  mind 
it — definition  of  the  subconscious  mind — the  Super- 
conscious  mind — the  human  mind — the  reason  for 
periods  of  depression — latent  faults  revealed — tempta- 
tion to  pick  flaws — fight  your  own  battles — mansions 
in  heaven — not  a  post-mortem  state — aim  of  physical 
existence — why  waste  time  ? — set  your  own  world  right 
— Universal  Brotherhood — results  according  to  the  law 
of  harmony. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

NARCOTICS,    ALCOHOL   AND   PSYCHISM. 

Vital  centers — building  of  the  spiritual  body — oily 
sheathes  protect  centers — opening  of  the  centers — 
must  be  controlled  by  the  will — the  Holy  Ghost — the 
sin  against — no  such  thing  as  a  "lost  Soul" — soulless 
entities — composition  of  alcohol — effect  on  the  centers 
— Zanoni's  "dweller  on  the  threshold" — tobacco,  tea 


Contents 

and  coffee — Masters  cannot  contact  drug  fiends- 
drunkards  and  the  Bible — karmic  results — mediums — 
one  reason  for  imbeciles — "sitting  for  development" — 
difference  between  spiritual  communication  and  sub- 
jective mediumship — Yogi  practices — astral  entities 
not  spiritual — Bible  references  to  the  centers  or  gates 
— story  of  Job  an  initiation — those  who  climb  up  some 
other  way — this  Order  is  the  Church  of  Philadelphia, 
the  Open  Door — every  movement  a  door  for  certain 
forces — this  Order  the  heart-center — members  respon- 
sible for  a  movement — do  not  accept  any  teaching  with- 
out the  confirmation  of  your  own  Divine  Guidance. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

A    STUDY   OF    KARMA. 

Explanation  of — illustrations — karma  not  a  Neme- 
sis— the  Lords  of  Karma — karma  not  a  punishment — 
Soul-qualities  to  be  gained — storms  and  disasters 
agents  of  karma — sorrows  to  teach  lessons — object  of 
karma  is  harmony — danger  of  invoking  karma — Race 
and  World-karma — Masters  must  work  with  karma — 
Souls  are  cells — Heavenly  Man — Soul  chooses  its  Path 
— number  of  incarnations — Prodigal  Son — humanity 
compared  to  the  blood — awakening  of  the  personality 
— each  Soul  in  its  proper  place. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   SELF. 

The  I  AM — personal  self  not  to  be  despised—- 
necessary to  the  Real  Self — but  not  all-important — 
symbol  of  the  diver — bestriding  the  Bird  of  Life — 
symbol  of  the  I  and  the  i — faith  in  your  Self — the 


Contents 

Paramhansa  and  the  World-Egg — the  Soundless  Sound 
— the  Silent  Thinker — your  work  for  humanity  limited 
by  the  little  self — take  account  of  stock,  your  per- 
sonality— do  your  own  thinking — seeming  humble  and 
real  humility — claims  to  holiness — be  up  and  doing — 
do  not  dwell  on  your  troubles — life  but  a  school  of 
the  Soul — pinning  the  self  to  earth — symbol  of  the 
barnacles — spiritual  ambition — the  Fourth  Gate — the 
Soul  is  Divine — the  self  becomes  the  True  Self. 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE  DOCTRINE   OF  AVATARA. 

Definition — Jesus  an  Avatar — not  a  mortal — method 
of  appearance — advent  determined  by  humanity — 
necessity  for  an  inspired  priesthood — sacrament  of 
marriage — lesser  manifestations — Avesha  Avataras — 
each  movement  to  have  an  Avesha — qualifications  and 
limitations  of  an  Avesha — an  Avatar  comes  to  human- 
ity not  to  any  one  sect — Bible  references — time  of  His 
coming — law  of  cycles — cycles  of  the  century — signs 
of  His  coming — the  144,000 — mission  of  The  Order  of 
the  15. 

CHAPTER   XL 

A    STUDY   OF   REINCARNATION. 

A  world-old  teaching — proof  acceptable  to  all  im- 
possible— illustrated  by  actor  in  Hamlet — what  hap- 
pens after  death — definition  of  the  astral-plane — Soul 
chooses  to  reincarnate — incarnates  among  old  asso- 
ciates— how  the  "why"  is  forgotten — more  Souls  ex- 
carnate  than  incarnate — many  wait  for  special 
stages  of  civilization — incarnate  under  their  own  sub- 
ray — time  between  incarnations — change  of  sex  in 


Contents 

incarnation — reasons  for  change  of  sex — possibility 
of  attaining  androgynous  condition — incarnation  to 
work  for  humanity — voluntary  incarnation  of  a  Great 
Teacher — complex  personality  of  H.  P.  B. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

POWER. 

The  image  of  God — "All  power  is  given  unto  me" 
— cosmic  centers  of  power — only  man  correlates  all 
powers — Eastern  teachings — the  seven  mystic  powers 
— the  supreme  power — power  of  intellect — power  of 
will — power  of  thought — power  of  the  life-principle — 
power  of  speech — the  sub  conscious  mind  and  its  func- 
tions— dreams  of  three  classes — animals  governed  by 
a  Group-soul — use  of  imagination — the  Kundalini  or 
serpent-power — overcoming  fear — speech  is  creative — 
the  power  of  a  tone — power  of  words  of  love  and  en- 
couragement— our  responsibility  for  idle  words — how 
to  attain  the  use  of  your  powers — not  a  far-off  possi- 
bility— must  begin  now. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

A    BRIEF   OUTLINE   OF   EVOLUTION. 

DETAILS   OF   THE   RELATION   OF   THE   MASTERS   TO 
HUMANITY. 

Evolution  from  above — spiritual  ancestors — raw 
materials  for  the  earth — evolution  a  redemption — 
seven  groups  of  the  Elohim — the  seven  Hierarchies — 
how  the  Rays  blend  and  co-operate — relation  of  hu- 
manity to  its  Progenitors — early  Races  taught  face  to 
face — Red  Ray  now  manifesting — symbology  of  blood 
— use  of  blood  in  the  Bible — the  Blood  of  The  Christ. 


Contents 
CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE   LAW. 

But  one  Law,  Love — descent  of  the  Light — path  of 
the  rocket — laws  of  vibration — seven  manifestations 
of  the  Law — Order,  everything  in  orderly  sequence — 
Compensation  from  every  experience — Karma  not  a 
Nemesis  but  an  opportunity — Vibration,  working  to- 
ward harmony — Cycles,  day  and  night  periods  of  the 
Soul — Balance,  necessary  for  peace — Polarity,  human 
love  the  lower  pole,  Divine  Love  the  higher  pole — 
illustration  of  the  spectrum — Jesus  and  the  Law — 
love  the  fulfilling  of  the  Law — polarizing  to  human 
love-atom — lessons  brought  by  Love — temptations 
through  love — conquering  by  polarizing  to  Divine 
Love — the  Book  of  Life — what  will  you  write  in  it? 

CHAPTER  XV. 

WORLD    CHAINS. 

Whirling,  glowing  ether — spirits  of  the  Great  Ones 
descend — a  Master's  description  of  the  cooling  of  the 
globe — definition  of  a  World-Chain — seven  planets  to 
each  chain — visible  worlds  the  fourth  globe  of  their 
chains — response  of  consciousness — the  world  of  De- 
sire— seven  Rounds  or  day-periods — mineral  domi- 
nated the  First  Round — vegetable  dominated  the 
Second  Round — animal  dominated  the  Third  Round — 
man  dominates  the  Fourth  Round — analagous  periods 
in  man's  evolution — the  vegetative  period — the  animal 
period — the  mental  period — the  spiritual  period — the 
role  of  suffering — the  work  or  regeneration — man 
must  now  stand  alone — seek  the  Soul  World — you  can 
function  in  the  Divine — the  Law  must  bring  about 
your  spiritual  evolution  as  surely  as  the  evolution  of 
the  planet.  * 


Contents 
CHAPTER  XVI. 

PURITY. 

The  body  a  temple — animal  desires  normal  to  the 
animal — animals  guided  by  a  Group-soul — all  func- 
tions pure  when  not  perverted — become  impure  only 
through  impure  thoughts — human  love  an  expression 
of  Divine  Love — thoughts  express  as  bodily  acts — 
how  to  keep  thoughts  pure — do  not  investigate  impur- 
ity— love  expressed  through  sex — sex  forces  always 
creative — pure  thoughts  essential  during  union — crea- 
tion takes  place  upon  all  planes — sickness,  disease  and 
blood-sucking  parasites  man's  own  creation — sex  rela- 
tions permissible  between  legally  married  only — man's 
law  must  not  be  violated — true  marriage — marriage 
holiest  relation  between  man  and  woman — reason  for 
ceremony — creation  of  a  body — the  curse  not  a  pun- 
ishment— necessity  for  the  pure  and  advanced  having 
children — power  to  create  good  where  evil  now  exists. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE   ORIGIN    OF    MAN. 

Orthodox  idea — scientific  theory — occult  teaching 
of  Those  Who  Know — man  not  from  a  monkey — man's 
body  to  climax  of  physical  evolution,  his  Soul  from 
above— seven  Great  Races — seven  sub-races,  many 
nations  and  tribes — the  cyclic  laws — majority  of  man- 
kind belong  to  the  Fourth  Race,  western  nations  to 
the  Fifth — the  First  Great  Race,  the  Polar — humanity 
sexless  and  ethereal — the  Second  Great  Race,  the 
Hyperboreans — still  non-physical — the  Third  Great 
Race,  the  Lemurians — the  egg-born  race — the  sexes 
separate — the  "fall  of  man" — the  mindless  Race — the 
allegory  of  Genesis — the  ape  a  degenerate  offspring 


Contents 

of  man — man  endowed  with  the  Divine  Spark  of  mind 
— the  Fourth  Great  Race,  the  Atlantean — the  degrada- 
tion of  sex — the  Divine  Instructors  withdraw — the 
flood — tower  of  Babel — the  Fifth  Great  Race,  the 
Aryan — the  equality  of  the  sexes — the  birth  of  the 
sixth  sub-race — the  Sixth  Great  Race — the  reign  of 
The  Christ — the  Seventh  Great  Race — the  Golden  Age 
—the  call  of  the  prophets — the  work  of  The  Order  of 
the  15. 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

THE   SYMBOL   OF   THE   SERPENT. 

Serpent  is  Saturn,  the  Initiator — all  Masters  called 
Serpents  of  Wisdom — serpent  also  the  spx-force — 
symbol  of  Adam's  rib — the  Garden  of  Eden — the 
kundalini-force — its  degradation  by  the  Atlanteans — 
personification  of  Satan — an  entitized  thought-rform — 
transmutation — ancient  serpent-worship — teachings  of 
sex  sacred — results  of  celibacy — true  esoteric  teach- 
ings must  be  pure — rules  far  more  strict  for  the  ad- 
vanced— killing  out  results  in  perversion — highest 
function  today — woman  the  priestess  to  man — the 
seven  veils  of  Isis — woman  must  be  the  uplifter  of 
man. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

PURIFICATION   VS.   DEIFICATION. 

The  need  of  this  lesson — the  forbidden  fruit — purity 
and  modesty  must  be  preserved — the  "queen  of  this 
world" — misleading  astral  entities — creating  sickness 
and  disease — meaning  of  Peer  Gynt — the  Ancient  One 
— pre-Adamite  races  symbolized  by  Lillith — truth 
back  of  the  world's  conventions — the  twain  who  are 
one  flesh — forming  the  Trinity — absolute  privacy  re- 


Contents 

quired — misled  through  flattery — excuses  for  license 
— impurity  reverses  the  triangle — apply  the  test  of 
common-sense — add  something  to  the  world's  stand- 
ards— the  woman  in  purple  and  scarlet — marriage  a 
symbol  of  the  Divine  marriage — Divine  Love  over- 
laps human  love — attainment  not  a  dream — lessons  of 
the  unmarried — spread  thoughts  of  purity — re-enter- 
ing Eden. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

THE    MEMORY   OF   PAST   LIVES. 

Destiny  of  each  Soul — warnings  by  memory  of  past 
mistakes — why  memory  of  past  lives  is  not  more  com- 
mon— memory  of  trials  of  one  life  enough — live  in 
the  present — other  reasons — how  the  memory  is 
awakened — illustration  of  Abraham  Lincoln — psychics 
told  they  were  the  Virgin  Mary,  Moses,  Solomon,  etc. 
— how  to  distinguish  the  true — innate  qualities  will 
manifest — law  of  reasonability — example  of  an  Egyp- 
tian priestess — object  of  re-birth — those  who  are  told 
of  their  great  mission — the  preparation  necessary — 
false  astral  teachings — how  to  guard  against — blind 
obedience  never  required  by  the  Masters. 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

THE   CYCLE   OF   NECESSITY. 

The  Higher  Self — chooses  environment — personal- 
ity has  free-will — all  experiences  in  the  One  Life — ani- 
mals lack  free-will — each  Soul  has  a  special  work — 
may  learn  by  experience  of  others — how  Soul  gains 
control — spiritualization  of  the  centers — danger  of 
opening  psychic  centers — rules  for  psychic  protection 
— how  to  test  psychic  messages — masters  of  evil  and 


Contents 

their  methods — flattery  a  feature — how  the  Masters 
contact  a  pupil — temptations  in  the  wilderness — fast- 
ing forty  days — first  temptation,  power — second  temp- 
tation, self-righteousness — third  temptation,  ambition 
—judge  leniently — cultivate  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE   PATH. 

Reality  of  the  Path  of  Discipleship — renunciation — 
the  four  Gates — First  Gate,  charity  and  tolerance — 
Second  Gate,  harmony,  conquering  of  fear — Third 
Gate,  patience — Fourth  Gate,  mastery  of  thought — the 
Silent  Thinker — three  classes  of  dreams — how  to  con- 
trol dreams — how  to  remodel  your  life — contacting 
thought-currents  from  above — the  goal  of  attainment. 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
EARTH'S  FINER  FORCES. 

The  foot  esteemed  in  the  Orient — use  of  silk  on 
feet — earth-forces  contacted  through  feet — how  the 
earth  breathes — effect  of  locality  on  character — mascu- 
line force  from  mountains,  feminine  from  sea — Kunda- 
lini  force  and  Tree  of  Life — allegory  of  Moses  and  the 
burning  bush — crops  without  rain — magnetic  action 
of  sun  and  moon — reason  for  having  largest  meal  at 
noon — use  of  shoes. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE   LIGHT. 

Four  days  of  creation — same  for  the  student — first 
day  the  light — second  day,  the  firmament — third  day, 


Contents 

dry  land — period  of  transmutation — descent  of  Spirit 
into  matter — the  end  seen  from  the  beginning — creep- 
ing things  of  the  darkness — the  Star  of  Initiation — 
light  of  Divine  Love — effect  in  your  life — do  not  be  sur- 
prised at  trials  and  tests — never  say  "I  cannot" — cour- 
age necessary — Jewel  of  Great  Price — "Let  there  be 
Light." 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE   TWO   TABLES   OF   STONE. 

Law  of  spiritual  evolution — guided  by  the  Elohim 
— force  of  Saturn  the  first  to  emanate — the  Law  writ- 
ten on  two  tables  of  stone — Moses  is  Mikael-Jehova 
— the  Philosopher's  Stone — law  heretofore  read  from 
the  positive  stone — markings  on  the  negative  stone 
covered  up — stone  rejected  by  the  builders — human- 
ity facing  its  initiation — children  of  earth  making 
mock — a  new  cycle,  an  advanced  step — man's  boasted 
supremacy  unsatisfying — the  woman-question  a  burn- 
ing one — man  positive  on  physical-plane,  woman  on 
spiritual-plane — male  Souls  in  feminine  bodies — femi- 
nine equalities  must  balance  masculine — the  two  tables 
of  stone  equal — both  needed. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

HEALING    PRAYER. 

Office  of  the  Master,  Jesus — power  of  a  name — 
effects  on  higher  planes — the  angels  draw  near — angels 
complementary  to  humanity — prayer  like  a  projectile 
— the  rationale  of  healing — the  One  Life. 


Contents 
CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE   SILENCE. 

The  Law  of  Growth — distinctions  between  concen- 
tration, meditation,  prayer  and  the  Silence — How  to 
meditate  —  concentration  required  —  importance  of 
breathing — rhythmic  breathing — the  complete  breath — 
directions — rules  for  inhalation  and  exhalation — 
thought  to  be  held  while  breathing — you  are  but  a 
channel  for  the  Divine — entering  the  Silence — Dare, 
Do,  Keep  Silent — the  Voice  of  the  Silence. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
NATURE'S  MYSTIC  ALPHABET. 


x 


Relations  of  sound,  number,  color,  form — God 
geometrizes — law  of  correspondence — Nature-shapes 
geometrical — sound  the  first  letter — how  to  find  your 
key-note — selecting  your  color — sorrow  the  base  clef 
in  the  Psalm  of  Life — primary  colors,  red,  yellow, 
blue — others  supplementary — colors  born  of  white — • 
no  pure  white — red  the  key-note  of  man — yellow  the 
Soul-color — blue  is  feminine,  color  of  the  auric  en- 
velope— orange  the  color  of  prana — orange  foods — 
green  the  Nature-color — why  Nature  is  green — indigo, 
spiritual  mind — violet  not  an  earthly  color. — 1  is  unity 
—2  separation — 3  the  trinity — 4  the  earth-plane — 5 
humanity — 6  The  Christ-force — 7  Divine  Wisdom — 8 
evolution  — 9  initiation — 10  unity — the  One  Law. 

CHAPTER   XXIX. 

THE    WORD. 

Esoteric  teaching — Bible  not  literally  true — the 
Word  is  the  Voice  of  the  Higher  Self — a  Ray  from  the 


Contents 

Divine — sunbeam  imprisoned  in  the  fruit — "as  an  Ape 
in  the  World-forest" — the  Guardian  Angel — fruit  im- 
prisoned sunshine — The  Christ-consciousness — brain 
centers  spiritualized — conscience  and  human  desire — 
how  to  distinguish — the  Lost  Word — Bible  mentions 
many  gods — Epicurus'  definition  of  an  infidel — crea- 
tive aspect  of  the  Word — redemption  through  the 
Word — the  Word  in  Nature — how  to  pronounce  the 
Word. 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

ILLUMINATION. 

The  demand  for  occult  formulas — demanding  money 
for  spiritual  gifts — what  illumination  is — the  story  of 
Jesus — the  development  of  Will — law  of  plant  life  ap- 
plied to  man — we  do  not  create  power — free-will  to 
choose — this  Order  gives  no  formulas — control  of 
selfishness  a  great  step — "Know  Thyself" — occult 
formulas  emphasize  selfishness  and  spiritual  pride — 
John  the  Baptist — intellectual  development  necessary 
— the  example  of  a  life — rules  for  spiritual  attainment. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE   SYMBOL   OF   THE   SALT. 

Role  of  salt  in  Nature — synbology  of  salt — cata- 
clysms and  the  salt  seas — rise  of  continents  as  deserts 
— cataclysms  in  the  Soul-life — the  brine  of  tears — the 
Salt  covenant — the  cleansing  through  salt — "Ye  are 
the  salt  of  the  earth" — "Have  salt  in  yourselves  and 
have  peace  one  with  another." 


Contents 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
\ 

THOU  SHALT   NOT   KILL. 

The  vision  of  Peter — the  One  Life — no  such  thing 
as  killing  in  its  real  sense — killing  is  shutting  off  the 
life-force — Yogi  practices — mortifying  the  flesh — 
mental  torture — cleansing  the  Augean  stables — cruelty 
of  the  Hindus — sacrifice  human  life  to  insects — killing 
vermin — killing  animals  for  food — spiritual  growth 
does  not  depend  upon  the  stomach — does  vegetarianism 
produce  greater  tolerance  and  love — vegetarian  races 
not  more  spiritual — meat  does  not  contain  the  desire 
— body — passions  must  be  controlled  not  starved — per- 
fect man  must  have  all  functions  at  fullest  power — 
Masters  who  ate  meat — the  thought-force  most  im- 
portant— when  thinking  continually  of  food  you  dwell 
in  the  stomach — each  kingdom  sacrifices  its  life  to  the 
higher — a  change  in  the  form  only  in  which  the  life- 
force  expresses — this  is  the  scheme  of  evolution — per- 
verted by  man's  selfishness — their  commercial  value 
perfects  the  animals — the  cruelty  of  Nature — effect  on 
butchers — killing  flies  and  mosquitoes — killing  for 
sport  or  vanity — man's  responsibility  to  the  lower 
kingdoms — decide  the  question  for  yourself. 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

PRAYER   OF   CONSECRATION.      CONCENTRATION    HOURS. 

Power  of  mantra — the  prayer  of  consecration — 
comprehension  of  self  necessary — the  key  to  the  mys- 
teries— concentrating  at  noon — correlating  with  the 
Heart  Center  of  the  Order — realization  of  personal 
communion  with  the  Teacher — special  healing  services. 


Contents 
CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE    MEANING   OF   THE   SYMBOL. 

A  symbol  tells  the  source  and  object  of  its  teachings 
— the  meaning  of  the  circle — the  Open  Eye — the  mean- 
ing of  the  triangle — the  five-pointed  stars — the  mean- 
ing of  15 — the  Motto — meaning  of  DARE — meaning 
of  DO— meaning  of  KEEP  SILENT. 


APPENDIX. 

A.  How  to  form  a  study-class. 

B.  Announcement. 

C.  Special  Information  Concerning  the  Order. 

D.  How  to  join. 

E.  Requirements. 
Index. 


PREFACE. 

The  Path  to  Mastery  is  marked  by  the  severest  self- 
discipline,  absolute  obedience  and  unswerving  allegi- 
ance to  the  chosen  Teacher  or  Guru.  Throughout  the 
ages  this  training  has  been  administered  most  rigor- 
ously by  various  teachers,  societies  and  brotherhoods, 
so  much  so  that  the  neophyte,  once  having  pledged 
himself  to  any  one  occult  school  or  teacher,  was  domi- 
nated as  to  what  he  should  eat,  wear,  do,  think  and  be- 
lieve, having  almost  no  freedom  of  body  or  mind. 
Such  training  was  necessary  in  the  past — and  still  is 
for  some.  The  helpfulness  of  that  method  consisted 
in  bringing  the  student  to  a  realization  of  the  great- 
ness of  his  calling,  the  littleness  of  the  personal  self, 
the  emptiness  of  the  pleasures  of  sense  and  the  barren- 
ness of  physical  life  as  compared  with  the  fullness  and 
glory  of  spiritual  attainment. 

While  The  Order  of  the  15  recognizes  that  the  occult 
law  back  of  the  outer  observances  required  by  former 
movements  is  as  true  today  as  ever,  and  that  discipline, 
obedience  and  faithfulness  are  as  requisite  today  as  of 
old,  still  being  an  advanced  Order  it  must  employ  ad- 
vanced methods  for  attaining  the  same  ends. 

OBJECTS  OF  THE  ORDER  OF  THE  15. 

OBJECT  I.  COMPLETE  INDIVIDUALITY  THROUGH  UNION 
WITH  THE  HIGHER  SELF. 

The  Order  of  the  15  is  put  forth  to  gather  together 
those  who  are  willing  to  face  themselves  and  who  are 
sufficiently  advanced  to  consciously  take  into  their  own 
hands  the  responsibility  for  the  disciplining  of  their 
lives.  Those  Souls  who  are  earnestly  attracted  to  its 
teachings  and  will  ultimately  be  drawn  into  its  ranks 


xxii  Preface 

are  those  who  in  former  lives  have  passed  through 
the  severe  disciplining  and  personal  training  men- 
tioned above  and  hence  should  be  ready  to  recognize 
the  necessity  for  discipline  and  desire  the  conscious 
realization  of  the  higher  life  so  sincerely  as  to  be  will- 
ing to  make  its  attainment  their  chief  aim  in  life. 
They  must  give  the  same  implicit  obedience — not  blind, 
but  that  which  is  born  of  perfect  confidence — and  the 
same  unswerving  allegiance  to  their  Teacher  as  of  old, 
this  time  not  because  of  vows  to  an  earthly  teacher  or 
Brotherhood  enforced  by  penalty,  but  voluntarily  and 
gladly,  with  no  human  voice  to  command  and  no  great 
personality  to  follow.  For  in  this  case  the  Teacher 
whom  they  must  learn  to  recognize  and  obey  is  their 
own  divine  Father-in-heaven,  their  Higher  Self,  who 
speaks  to  them  in  the  sanctuary  of  their  own  hearts. 

The  ideal  put  forth  by  this  Order  is  therefore  one 
of  constant  self-mastery  in  obedience  to  the  personal 
guidance  from  within  and  prompted  by  the  earnest 
desire  for  spiritual  growth  and  the  ability  to  help 
humanity  to  a  greater  realization  of  The  Christ-con- 
sciousness. The  teachings  of  this  Order  are  en- 
tirely constructive,  for  if  only  the  true  is  persistently 
put  forth  the  false  will  disappear  of  itself.  This 
teaching  is  the  acme  of  individualism — Mastery,  the 
manifestation  of  the  Real  Self — for  the  individual, 
and  the  acme  of  oneness  for  the  Race.  Necessarily 
the  fundamental  assumption  of  this  teaching  is  the 
possibility  of  each  Soul  coming  into  conscious  personal 
touch  not  only  with  his  own  Father-in-heaven  but 
also  with  those  Great  Souls,  the  Masters  of  Love  and 
Wisdom,  who  are  the  Elder  Brothers  and  Guardians 
of  the  Race.  The  Order  of  the  15  is  one  of  the  ave- 
nues through  which  those  Great  Souls  are  working 
to  lead  their  followers  into  personal  relationship.  It 


Preface  xxiii 

is  a  testing  ground  for  those  who  have  passed  the 
tests  of  enforced  discipline,  an  opportunity  for  them 
to  prove  their  ability  and  willingness  to  follow  the 
guidance  that  comes  from  within. 

Naturally  many  are  called  but  few  are  chosen,  for 
only  those  are  finally  chosen  and  admitted  to  full 
membership  who  have  proved  their  ability  to  stand 
firm  and  be  trained  to  work  unselfishly  for  humanity 
along  the  special  lines  laid  down  by  this  Order  through 
its  agents.  It  is  a  far  more  advanced  step  to  volun- 
tarily give  love,  fidelity  and  obedience  to  a  teacher 
because  your1  own  Soul  recognizes  the  source  of  the 
teachings,  the  objects  of  the  movement  and  the  sacri- 
fice necessarily  made  by  the  agents  that  you  may  re- 
ceive the  teachings,  than  to  give  such  allegience  be- 
cause of  any  form  of  compulsion. 

OBJECT  2.     PERSONAL  TRAINING  IN  THE  PHILOSOPHY 
OF  LIFE. 

The  personal  training  of  each  pupil  is  carried  on 
partly  on  the  inner  planes  and  partly  by  correspond- 
ence with  the  Teacher  of  the  Order  through  the  Sec- 
retary. Such  correspondence  is  open  to  all  who  need 
personal  help  with  the  problems  of  their  Soul  life. 
The  answers  will  contain  explanations  of  the  spiritual 
laws  which  apply  to  the  individual  needs  of  the  pupil. 
Definite  commands  will  not  be  given,  for  the  training 
is  designed  to  foster  in  the  individual  perfect  freedom 
of  choice  and  to  develop  the  strength  of  will  necessary 
voluntarily  to  apply  the  Law  to  his  own  problems. 
The  letters  are  signed  by  the  Secretary  merely  as  the 
Agent  of  the  Teacher,  and  only  if  the  intuition  of 
the  pupil  can  grasp  the  fact  that  the  instruction  given 
is  more  than  the  human  wisdom  of  the  agents  can 
its  real  significance  be  appreciated.  Necessarily  such 


xxiv  Preface 

letters  are  more  or  less  cryptic  and  hence  require 
meditation  that  the  light  of  intuition  may  reveal  their 
true  meaning.  The  method  of  teaching  employed  by 
the  Teacher  of  this  Order  is  one  in  which  praise  and 
flattery  of  the  pupil  plays  little  part,  rather  the  Teacher 
points  out  the  stumbling  blocks  in  the  pupil's  Path  to 
Realization  and  tests  both  his  intuition,  his  sincerity 
and  his  humility.  Only  the  determined  and  the  cour- 
ageous can  win  final  victory. 

OBJECT  3.    A  HIGHER  STANDARD  OF  PURITY  ON  ALL 
PLANES. 

It  is  comparatively  easy  for  one  who  is  determined 
to  lead  The  Christ-life  to  curb  his  grosser  passions, 
refrain  from  acts  of  impurity  and  injustice  and  lead 
what  the  world  calls  an  upright  life.  But  the  require- 
ments for  entering  the  Mysteries  are  far  more  exact- 
ing. Ere  he  can  safely  enter  the  more  advanced 
stages  of  occultism  he  must  learn  to  control  the  cur- 
rents of  his  thoughts,  as  well  as  his  words  and  acts. 
Hence  The  Order  of  the  15  helps  its  pupils  to  gain 
a  higher  conception  of  purity  on  all  planes,  especially 
in  their  ideas  in  regard  to  the  use  of  the  Great  Cre- 
ative Force. 

OBJECT  4.     THE  ESOTERIC  INTERPRETATION  OF  THE 
BIBLE. 

While  many  orders,  societies  and  organizations 
base  their  teachings  upon  various  Eastern  scriptures 
or  medieval  teachings,  this  Order  teaches  that  the 
Christian  Bible  contains  the  same  spiritual  teachings 
and  the  same  occult  philosophy  found  in  the  older 
scriptures.  Futhermore,  it  is  couched  in  terms  which 
appeal  to  the  Western  type  of  mind,  once  the  esoteric 
key  to  its  symbology  and  mysticism  is  known.  This 


Preface  xxv 

key  The  Order  of  the  15  gives  to  its  students,  thus  en- 
abling them  to  apply  the  underlying  laws  of  every 
parable,  allegory  and  miracle  to  their  own  spiritual 
growth. 

OBJECT  .5.     TRAINING  THE  SENSES  TO  RESPOND  TO 
VIBRATIONS  FROM  ALL  PLANES. 

This  Order  offers  no  formulas  or  exercises  for  de- 
veloping psychic  powers,  teaching  that  all  such  facul- 
ties should  evolve  gradually  as  a  natural  result  of 
normal  spiritual  growth,  hence  they  should  not  be 
sought  for  or  forced  through  special  forms  of  con- 
centration, ''sitting  for  development,"  etc.  But  as 
the  Soul  evolves  the  senses  must  respond  to  higher 
notes  of  vibration  and  awaken  to  higher  states  of  con- 
sciousness. When  this  occurs  the  pupil  must  be  taught 
both  how  to  protect  himself  from  the  many  dangers 
of  the  psychic  realm  and  also  how  to  make  the  best 
use  of  the  newly  acquired  powers  in  furthering  his 
spiritual  growth.  Perhaps  the  earliest  recognition 
the  pupil  has  of  the  divine  guidance  of  his  Father-in- 
heaven  is  through  symbolic  dreams  and  visions.  The 
Teacher  of  the  Order  aids  the  pupil  in  interpreting 
such  spiritual  lessons  until  he  is  sufficiently  versed  in 
the  language  of  symbology  and  methods  of  interpre- 
tation to  grasp  the  lesson  for  himself.  This  work  is 
a  part  of  the  personal  correspondence  with  the  Teacher 
of  the  Order. 

OBJECT  6.    PREPARATION   FOR  THE  COMING  WORLD 
TEACHER,  THE  AVATAR. 

Like  nearly  all  advanced  thinkers  along  spiritual 
lines  and  all  advanced  spiritual  movements  of  today, 
The  Order  of  the  15  expects  a  great  spiritual  Teacher 
to  appear  on  earth  during  the  early  years  of  this  cen- 


xxvi  Preface 

tury.  Hence  one  of  the  main  objects  of  this  Order  is  so 
to  train  its  pupils  that,  through  their  own  intuitions 
they  may  learn  to  recognize  and  respond  to  the  influ- 
ence of  that  Great  Teacher  upon  the  higher  planes  so 
that  when  the  days  of  the  famine  come,  "not  a  famine 
of  bread,  nor  a  thirst  for  water,  but  of  hearing  the 
words  of  the  Lord,"  the  days  when  "they  shall  run 
to  and  fro  to  seek  the  word  of  the  Lord,"  the  days 
which  precede  the  coming  of  the  Avatar,  they  shall  not 
be  deceived  but  shall  find  and  know.  Only  by  a  recog- 
nition of  that  Great  Teacher  upon  the  higher  planes 
or  by  recognizing  Him  through  His  teachings  can  hu- 
manity hope  to  know  Him  when  He  appears  in  the 
flesh. 

OBJECT  7.  SPECIAL  TRAINING  IN  RECOGNIZING  THE 
ONENESS  OF  TRUTH  WHEREVER  FOUND. 

While  we  have  heard  much  of  Universal  Brother- 
hood and  its  various  methods  of  attainment,  from  the 
Reign  of  Terror  to  the  present  day,  still  this  Order 
teaches  a  new  conception  of  this  much  to  be  desired 
state.  Since  the  human  race  reflects  Truth,  like  a 
diamond  reflects  light,  through  many  facets,  Universal 
Brotherhood  can  never  be  achieved  by  all  men  think- 
ing alike.  Nor  do  we  believe  such  an  achievement  de- 
sirable, for  in  Nature  we  find  perfect  Brotherhood 
expressed  in  many  forms,  the  oak  and  the  violet  at  its 
root  receive  the  life-force  from  the  same  soil,  air, 
water  and  sunshine,  yet  each  develop  to  perfection.  In 
the  same  way  The  Order  of  the  75  strives  to  send  out 
the  One  Life  and  permits  each  Soul  to  assimilate  it 
and  grow  to  the  perfection  of  his  own  individuality  in 
perfect  freedom.  Hence  our  idea  of  Universal  Broth- 
erhood is  universal  recognition  of  the  oneness  of 
Truth  in  its  various  expressions  or  unity  in  diversity, 
thereby  manifesting  perfect  tolerance  toward  all. 


INTRODUCTION. 

"How  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children 
together,  as  a  hen  doth  gather  her  brood  under 
her  wings,  and  ye  would  not !"  St.  Luke  XIII.  34. 

The  Egyptians  recognized  and  adored  the  Produc- 
tive Principle,  both  in  Nature  and  in  man,  under  the 
symbol  of  Isis,  the  Universal  Mother,  the  power  of 
bringing  forth  in  humanity  the  Divine  Child  or  The 
Christ.  The  title  of  this  volume  indicates  that  its 
teachings  are  designed  to  bring  forth  in  humanity  a 
new  conception  of  the  spiritual  life  through  the  devel- 
opment of  the  Mother-love,  that  divine  feminine-prin- 
ciple of  the  Soul  which  brings  forth  in  the  daily  life. 

Isis  was  also  called  the  "Mother  of  God,"  the  "Ce- 
lestial Virgin"  and  the  "Queen  of  Heaven,"  just  as 
her  counterpart,  the  Virgin  Mary,  is  among  Christian 
peoples,  and  was  usually  represented  carrying  in  her 
hand  the  crux  ansata.  It  was  none  other  than  Cyril, 
Bishop  of  Alexandria,  who  openly  embraced  the 
cause  of  Isis  and  anthropomorphized  her  into  Mary, 
Mother  of  God.1  While  we  do  not  worship  Isis  or 
Mary  as  a  personality,  yet  we  recognize  that  which 
they  symbolize.  For  it  is  only  by  a  recognition  of 
the  Mother-principle  of  Love  and  Compassion  that  we 
can  bring  forth  The  Christ-child  individually  in  our 
hearts  and  lives,  and  collectively  in  humanity. 

Heretofore  most  teachings  of  a  religio-philosophic 
character  have  been  given  out  as  from  the  intellectual 
or  Father  aspect  of  Truth,  and  have  in  a  measure 
appalled  humanity  by  a  sense  of  the  great  gulfs  to  be 
crossed  and  the  great  heights  to  be  attained  ere  the 
Father's  house  is  reached.  But  in  this  volume  the 
teachings  are  presented  as  from  the  lips  of  a  loving, 

(1)     Isis   Unv?,iled,  Blavatsky,  Vol.   II;   41. 


xxviii  Introduction 

tender  mother  taking  her  children  into  her  arms,  weak, 
sinful  and  disobedient  though  they  be,  and  helping 
them  over  the  hard  places  by  teaching  them  at  her 
knee  how,  by  the  mastery  of  the  little  things  of  daily 
life,  they  shall,  step  by  step,  attain  to  the  status  of  the 
Divine  Manhood  exemplified  in  the  Father. 

This  volume  is  composed  of  the  monthly  lessons  sent 
out  by  The  Order  of  the  15,  considerably  elaborated 
and  enlarged.  The  lessons  in  this  volume  will  no  longer 
be  issued  separately  in  pamphlet  form.  These  teach- 
ings are  presented  in  Love  and  Compassion  with  the 
earnest  desire  to  sympathize  with  and  help  upward 
and  onward  the  Mother's  struggling  sons  and  daugh- 
ters. The  Great  Mother  holds  out  her  arms  to  all  her 
children,  be  they  Pagan,  Jew,  Christian  or  non-Chris- 
tian, recognizing  that  each  child  must  feed  at  its  Moth- 
er's breast  and  partake  of  the  milk  of  her  love  and  sym- 
pathy no  matter  what  the  circumstances  of  his  or  her 
physical  life,  or  what  their  religious  training. 

These  teachings  will  appeal  most  strongly  to  those 
whose  hearts  can  recognize  the  great  Mother-love 
now  being  poured  out  upon  the  world  to  prepare  it 
for  the  coming  of  the  great  spiritual  Teacher  or  Avatar 
who  is  soon  to  appear  and  who  will  promulgate  the 
teachings  for  the  coming  sixth  sub-race  and  prepare  a 
nucleus  for  the  Sixth  Great  Race. 


THE  VOICE  OF  ISIS 


CHAPTER  I. 

LIFE'S  DUTIES. 

"Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with 
thy  might." — Eccelesiastes,  IX- 10. 

"Believe  thou  not  that  sitting  in  dark  forests,  in 
proud  seclusion  and  apart  from  men ;  believe  thou 
not  that  life  on  roots  and  plants,  that  thirst  as- 
suaged with  the  snow  from  the  great  Range — be- 
lieve thou  not,  O  Devotee,  that  this  will  lead  thee 
to  the  goal  of  final  liberation." — The  Voice  of  the 
Silence,  Blavatsky,  Fragment  I. 

Many  students  of  the  higher  life  find  themselves 
surrounded  by  conditions  which  absolutely  preclude 
their  devoting  themselves  to  study  and  to  the  ob- 
servances which  seem  necessary  for  self-development. 
Life  often  seems  to  press  so  heavily  upon  them  that 
both  body  and  mind  are  wearied  to  the  point  of  ex- 
haustion, and  both  men  and  women  are  reduced  to  a 
state  of  beasts  of  burden.  Yet  even  here  let  us  seek  a 
remedy. 

There  are  two  classes  of  duties,  the  real  duties 
which  must  be  performed  and  the  mere  superfluities 
of  life  which  we  are  wont  to  call  duties  but  which 
we  voluntarily  impose  upon  ourselves.  No  real 
duty  is  given  you  which  you  have  not  the  strength 
to  perform  or  without  a  purpose  to  be  gained  by  its 
performance.  Real  duties  do  not  exhaust  you,  for 
"as  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be."  Instead  of 
letting  any  duty  arouse  in  your  mind  the  thought  that 
it  can  by  any  possibility  separate  you  from  the  Inner 


30  The  Voice  of  Isis 

Light  or  from  your  spiritual  development  or  your 
real  advance  along  the  Path  or  prevent  you  from 
drawing  close  and  learning  Wisdom  at  the  Master's 
feet,  realize  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  you  to 
take  one  step  onward  while  you  were  leaving  any  real 
duty  undone.  "But  to  attain  true  renunciation  of 
action  without  devotion  through  action  is  difficult,  O 
thou  of  mighty  arms;  while  the  devotee  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  right  practice  of  his  duties  approacheth 
the  Supreme  Spirit  in  no  long  time."  1 

The  second  class  are  imaginary  duties,  or  self- 
imposed  tasks,  which  cater  only  to  superfluities  and 
are  fulfilled  simply  to  propitiate  the  world's  opinion. 
The  first  duty  of  each  student  of  the  higher  life  is  to 
make  a  careful  analysis  and  decide  what  are  real  and 
what  are  superficial  duties,  then  to  so  order  his  life 
that  the  real,  vital  and  first  duty  of  caring  for  his  Im- 
mortal Soul  will  not  be  crowded  out.  To  do  this  he 
must  look  upon  duty  in  a  new  light.  Many  persons, 
recognizing  the  false  light  in  which  duty  has  been  pre- 
sented, strive  to  do  away  with  it  altogether,  saying 
that  nothing  should  be  done  that  is  not  a  joyful 
service.  While  we  agree  with  this  view  for  a  certain 
stage  of  development,  still  it  is  often  necessary  to  re- 
quire children  to  perform  duties  which  later  in  life 
they  find  to  be  joyful  service.  All  real  duties  con- 
front you  because  in  your  evolution  you  have  set  up 
conditions  which  make  just  these  tasks  necessary  to 
build  into  your  Soul  certain  qualities  in  which  you 
are  lacking.  In  short,  they  are  the  result  of  the 
great  Law  of  Karma,  and  without  the  lessons  they  teach 
your  character  is  incomplete.  Hence,  they  are  the 
things  which,  when  they  are  performed  and  the  qual- 
ities they  are  meant  to  develop  are  incorporated  into 

1  Bhagavad  Gita,  Chapter  V. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  31 

your   being,   will   give   you   the   strength   and   ability 
to  take  your  next  step. 

We  hear  many  say  that  household  cares  or  business 
duties  occupy  so  much  of  their  time  that  they  can- 
not find  time  to  enter  the  Silence,  hence,  there  is 
no  use  trying  to  live  the  higher  life,  since  the  many 
interruptions  make  it  impossible.  Instead  of  taking 
such  an  attitude  of  mind,  realize  that  such  duties  and 
interruptions  are  your  task  and  make  them  yield  you 
their  lesson.  Every  morning  select  some  text  or 
thought  and  fix  your  mind  upon  it  during  the  day, 
making  every  task,  be  it  ever  so  trifling,  yield  some- 
thing toward  the  main  idea.  If  you  are  seeking  poise, 
take  for  your  daily  meditation  the  thought  of  Divine 
Love.  Think  of  this  expressing  itself  as  calmness, 
unchanged  and  unmoved  by  anything.  If  constant 
interruptions  occur,  realize  that  perhaps  they  furnish 
just  the  lesson  you  need  i.  e.,  the  power  to  remain  calm 
interiorly  in  the  face  of  outward  activity.  Since  all 
real  duties  are  your  task,  in  them  lies  your  opportunity) 
and  in  their  proper  performance  lies  your  victory. 
Not  in  the  performance  merely,  but  in  the  attitude  of 
mind  you  hold  toward  them  and  the  manner  of  their 
performance.  If  you  perform  a  duty  because  you 
are  compelled  to  and  fail  to  incorporate  its  lesson  in 
your  heart,  at  your  next  step  you  will  find  yourself 
confronted  by  another  duty  of  the  same  general  char- 
acter but  far  more  difficult  of  performance,  and  this 
will  continue  until  you  not  only  perform  the  duty 
but  gain  the  lacking  quality  of  Soul  this  duty  is  in- 
tended to  inculcate.  If  business  cares  seem  to  hold 
you  in  a  net  of  sordid  money  getting,  learn  from  them 
the  lesson  of  persistence;  that  just  as  no  complica- 
tion in  business  life  can  daunt  you,  so  in  your  spiritual 
life  nothing  shall  prevent  you  from  obtaining  spiritual 


32  The  Voice  of  Isis 

gold.  Teach  your  subconscious  mind  to  know  and 
realize  that  only  that  which  can  be  brought  to  The 
Christ  for  His  blessing  is  legitimate.  Learn  to  have 
faith  that  you  shall  achieve  if  you  learn  this  lesson. 
There  is  one  real  duty  which  confronts  all  students 
of  the  higher  life  that  cannot  be  ignored,  i.  e.,  to  de- 
cide just  what  avenue  of  help  is  most  beneficial,  not 
only  to  their  own  advancement,  but  also  the  one  which 
brings  the  greatest  amount  of  practical  help  to  hu- 
manity. It  is  not  enough  to  say  that  you  can  gain 
good  from  all  sources,  for  while  that  may  be  true, 
still  your  personal  development  is  not  the  first  duty 
that  confronts  you,  for  that  comes  as  a  result  of  living 
The  Christ-life  and  trying  to  help  humanity.  While 
you  should  do  the  individual  duties  presented  to  you, 
you  should  also  lend  your  forces  to  increase  the  power 
of  the  organized  movements  put  forth  by  the  Masters 
of  Wisdom  for  the  help  of  humanity.  Such  organ- 
ized movements  are  like  great  rivers  which  although 
they  depend  upon  tiny  springs  and  streamlets  for  vol- 
ume, yet  unite  these  into  something  far  different  from 
and  of  far  greater  usefulness  than  the  individual 
springs  and  streamlets  contributing  to  them.  Hence, 
your  first  duty  is  conscientiously,  prayerfully  and 
earnestly  to  seek  for  the  special  channel  through 
which  you  desire  to  help  humanity,  and  when  found 
throw  into  that  channel  all  you  have  to  give,  whether 
it  be  money — the  easiest  of  all  things  to  give — or  love, 
devotion  and  thought,  or  service.  Fear  not  to  seek. 
"The  pilgrim  who  would  cool  his  weary  limbs  in  run- 
ning waters,  yet  dares  not  plunge  for  terror  of  the 
stream,  risks  to  succumb  from  heat.  Inaction  based 
on  selfish  fear  can  bear  but  evil  fruit."  No  Soul  can 
consciously  advance  who  is  not  helping  in  the  up- 
lifting of  all. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  33 

If  you  cannot  find  time  to  enter  the  Silence,  still 
no  power  in  heaven  or  earth  can  keep  the  Silence  from 
entering  into  you  if  you  will  let  it,  for  the  Silence  is 
the  peace  of  God  that  passeth  understanding.  While 
doing  the  duties  of  the  day  your  mind  need  not  be 
chained  to  them.  It  is  not  what  your  hands  are  do- 
ing, but  what  your  heart  is  worshiping  that  determines 
your  growth.  If  you  make  business  or  household  cares 
your  God,  you  will,  of  necessity,  retard  your  more 
rapid  spiritual  advance;  for  as  long  as  you  are  wor- 
shiping a  false  God  your  spiritual  evolution  is  being 
retarded.  "Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  Me/' 
If,  on  the  contrary,  you  make  of  your  duties  step- 
ping-stones to  the  real  worship  of  your  heart,  you  will 
find  them  a  great  help.  Hands  and  mind  may  both 
be  occupied,  but  while  using  them,  and  in  the  very 
performance  of  the  task,  and  because  it  is  hampering, 
you  must  dive  deep  into  the  Divine  and  seek  in  your 
own  heart  for  the  sustaining  power  and  not  depend 
upon  earthly  surroundings  to  bring  it  to  you,  just  as  a 
tree  which  finds  itself  planted  in  a  crevice  of  a  rock 
must  send  its  roots  down  deep  to  seek  the  streams 
that  are  hidden  from  sight  ere  it  can  maintain  its 
growth.  Under  such  circumstances,  the  tree  often 
attains  greater  perfection  than  one  planted  on  the 
plain,  for  the  streams  that  run  deep  are  refreshing  and 
uncontaminated,  and  are  unfailing. 

If  you  are  persistent  and  determined  in  this  seek- 
ing you  will  gain  more  growth  from  meeting  every- 
thing as  it  comes  to  you  than  one  who  can  sit  for  hours 
in  silence,  yet  who  has  not  learned  to  control  the  chil- 
dren of  his  own  brain.  There  is  no  duty  higher  than 
the  one  which  lies  nearest,  provided  it  be  a  real  duty. 
It  is  not  a  real  duty  to  try  to  relieve  another  from 
doing  his  plain  duty,  for  "It  is  better  to  do  one's  own 


34  The  Voice  of  Isis 

duty,  even  though  it  be  devoid  of  excellence,  than  to 
perform  another's  duty  well.  It  is  better  to  perish  in 
the  performance  of  one's  own  duty ;  the  duty  of  another 
is  full  of  danger."  *  Like  the  children  of  Israel  who 
had  each  to  gather  manna  for  himself  alone  and  could 
gather  only  enough  for  one  day,  so  is  each  one 
given  strength  to  perform  all  the  real  duties  of  each 
day.  But  if  this  strength  is  wasted  in  assumed  duties  or 
is  used  up  in  doing  for  another  that  which  it  is  neces- 
sary for  his  development  that  he  do  for  himself,  then 
you  are  depleted  and  your  duties,  like  the  manna  gath- 
ered in  excess,2  become  a  menace  to  your  growth 
rather  than  a  help. 

The  object  of  evolution  is  to  gain  Wisdom  out  of 
every  condition.  Whatever  the  condition  that  con- 
fronts you,  know  well  that  it  will  never  leave  you  until 
you  have  gained  the  Wisdom  it  is  intended  to  teach. 
Everything  that  comes  to  you  in  the  way  of  trouble 
and  sorrow  is  simply  the  result  of  your  own  shortcom- 
ings, or  a  lack  of  some  Soul-quality  which  only  such 
experiences  can  teach  you.  In  fact,  this  is  the  under- 
lying idea  of  Karma;  not  that  it  is  a  punishment  or 
even  an  inevitable  law  of  suffering  which  you  must 
endure  to  the  end,  but  that  in  the  course  of  your  evolu- 
tion your  Higher  Self  finds  that  you  lack  certain  Soul- 
qualities,  hence  chooses  to  incarnate  in  certain  families 
and  under  certain  conditions  which  will  bring  out  the 
Soul-qualities  which  are  lacking.  If  you  refuse  to  rec- 
ognize the  lesson,  or  run  away  from  the  conditions  ere 
they  are  conquered,  you  will  have  to  meet  them  again 
and  again  in  various  forms  in  this  and  other  lives  un- 
til the  victory  is  gained.  Remember,  that  the  hard 
conditions  of  the  environment  are  deliberately  chosen 

1  The  Bhagavad  Gita,  Chapter  III. 

1  "But   some  of  them  left   of  it  until  the  morning  and  it -bred   worms, 
and  stank." — Exodus,  XVI-20. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  35 

by  the  Soul  that  it  may  quickly  gain  the  qualities 
needed.  The  instant  this  is  done  the  Law  is  fulfilled, 
hence  there  is  no  Karma  or  anything  else  that  can  hold 
you  to  those  conditions. 

Only  thus  can  you  find  self-poise,  for  self-poise  is 
the  result  of  self-knowledge.  The  instant  you  begin 
to  see  that  it  is  yourself  who  is  responsible  for  all  the 
disturbing  influences  that  are  around  you  and  that  it 
rests  with  you  to  correct  them,  then  you  have  begun 
in  the  right  way  to  gain  self-poise.  The  first  thing  to 
be  gained  is  self-recognition.  When  buffeted  by  cir- 
cumstances you  are  apt  to  blame  your  sufferings  upon 
your  conditions  or  upon  others,  or  to  think  some  Divine 
Power  is  punishing  you,  for  it  is  most  difficult  to  face 
yourself  and  recognize  that  the  trouble  lies  in  you.  But 
while  this  is  difficult  to  realize,  still  it  is  comforting 
to  know  that  if  the  fault  is  within,  the  remedy  also  lies 
within.  Once  recognize  this  and  really  learn  the  lesson 
— not  only  mentally  but  intuitively — and  you  no  longer 
have  to  experience  the  adverse  conditions. 

When  an  earthen  vessel  is  to  be  used,  only  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  fire  is  needed  to  harden  and  prepare 
the  clay.  But  if  it  is  a  golden  vessel  to  be  placed  upon 
the  King's  table  it  must  pass  through  a  seven-times 
heated  furnace  and  be  hammered  and  tested  and  puri- 
fied until  the  gold  is  without  a  flaw;  then  it  must  be 
fashioned  into  the  shape  best  adapted  to  its  purpose. 
So  is  it  with  the  vessel  of  clay  which  we  call  our  per- 
sonality. There  must  be  all  kinds  of  vessels  and  each 
must  have  the  preparation  best  adapted  to  its  uses. 

All  Wisdom  gained  from  earthly  experience  is  meant 
to  help  unfold  your  dormant  faculties  and  make  the  per- 
sonality one  with  its  Father-in-heaven.  There  is  noth- 
ing that  confronts  you  that  is  not  a  step  in  this  great 
journey  called  the  "Cycle  of  Necessity."  Therefore, 


36  The  Voice  of  Isis 

realize  that  it  is  not  your  tasks  or  duties  that  weary 
you  or  retard  your  evolution,  but  your  attitude  of  mind 
toward  them,  the  permitting  of  everyday  trifles  to  so 
occupy  your  mind  that  you  never  let  them  go. 

The  little  joys  of  life  are  just  as  satisfying  as  the 
little  cares  are  annoying.  While  you  are  facing  the  lit- 
tle cares  watch  out  for  the  little  joys.  Many  little 
joys  wake  the  heart  until  like  a  glorious  blossom  it 
opens  to  the  sun.  If  you  dwell  in  the  little  joys  they 
run  together  and  soon  break  out  into  a  mighty  soul- 
satisfying  happiness  which  will  be  like  a  strong,  deep 
undercurrent  of  joy  bearing  you  through  all  the  cares 
and  sorrows  of  life.  Remember  this  and  begin  at  once 
to  look  for  every  ripple  of  sunshine — open  the  doors 
and  let  it  in. 

In  every  heart  there  is  a  well  so  deep  and  still  that 
it  can  reflect  only  one  star  at  a  time,  and  this  star,  what- 
ever it  be,  is,  for  the  time  it  is  reflected  there,  the 
guiding  star  of  your  destiny.  Just  as  a  great  telescope 
can  sweep  the  heavens  and  focus  upon  any  star  de- 
sired, so  can  you  have  for  your  ruling  star  anything 
you  determine  to  focus  upon.  If  your  star  be  house- 
hold worries,  a  desire  to  live  in  the  same  style  as  your 
neighbors,  to  expand  your  business,  or  the  love  and 
worship  of  money,  or  any  other  condition,  even  the 
worship  of  a  personality,  while  it  reigns  it  shuts  out 
the  light  from  all  other  stars.  "Ye  cannot  serve  God 
and  mammon."  Whatever  it  is  that  is  reflected  in  this 
deep  well  of  your  inmost  heart  is  the  God  you  are 
worshiping;  for  worship  is  constant  thought  of  the 
thing  worshiped,  a  constant  filling  of  the  under-cur- 
rents  of  your  mind  with  it,  laying  upon  the  shrine  and 
offering  to  that  which  you  worship  of  your  best  efforts 
and  thoughts.  Whatever  it  is  that  occupies  these  deep 
undercurrents,  whatever  is  poured  into  the  deep  places 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  37 

of  your  nature,  even  subconsciously — something  that  is 
always  there  no  matter  how  busy  you  may  be  on  the 
surface — that  is  what  you  are  worshiping,  for  it  is  that 
for  which  you  are  giving  your  life-  and  thought-force 
to  create.  By  these  currents  of  force  you  are  literally 
moulding  the  atoms  of  your  bodies  into  vehicles 
through  which  that  which  you  worship  can  manifest. 
You  also  create  around  yourself  an  auric  world  in 
which  your  dominant  thought  will  be  king  and  all 
else  subservient,  no  matter  how  much  lip-service  is 
given  to  other  things. 

There  is  only  one  thing  that  you  can  rightly  place 
in  the  Holy  Sanctuary  and  hope  that  it  will  dwell 
there  forever,  and  that  is  The  Christ.  Let  The  Christ 
be  king  over  all  your  thoughts,  aspirations  and  de- 
sires and  all  things  shall  be  cared  for.  "He  who 
seeth  me  in  all  things  and  all  things  in  me  looseneth 
not  his  hold  on  me  and  I  forsake  him  not.  And 
whosoever,  believing  in  spiritual  unity,  worshippeth 
me  who  am  in  all  things,  dwelleth  with  me  in  what- 
soever condition  he  may  be."  * 

The  little  things  of  life  may  occupy  the  surface  of 
your  thoughts,  but  underneath  all,  in  the  Holy  Sanctu- 
ary, The  Christ  dwelleth,  and  The  Christ  careth  for 
all  things.  Your  home,  your  children,  your  business, 
your  petty  cares  are  all  but  ripples  on  the  surface, 
while  deep  down  in  the  shrine  of  your  heart  dwells 
The  Christ.  Once  having  found  this  Holy  of  Holies 
and  placed  therein  the  One  who  alone  is  worthy  of 
your  worship,  no  matter  how  busy  you  are  or  how 
occupied  with  worldly  cares,  in  an  instant  your  con- 
ciousness  can  enter  that  sacred  place  and  find  rest 
and  peace  and  communion.  Then  nothing  can  really 
fret  you,  for  you  carry  the  Silence  within  you.  The 

1  The  Bhagavad  Gita,  Chapter  VI. 


38  The  Voice  of  Isis 

winds  and  tempests  of  earth  only  ripple  the  surface. 
In  the  deep  places  all  is  peace  and  calm.  You  have 
no  fear,  for  you  have  entered  the  Silence  and  have 
felt  the  strength  and  comfort  and  power  of  The  Christ 
within.  You  know  that  His  love  pervades  your  life 
and  all  are  safe  in  His  keeping.  All  things  are  safe 
and  sure.  The  trials  of  your  business  and  your  home 
do  not  upset  you  now,  for  you  know  how  to  keep  calm, 
where  to  find  peace. 

The  moment  you  find  yourself  getting  disturbed, 
slip  back  into  this  calm,  quiet  interior  place  and  find 
refreshment.  Let  the  radiance  of  this  center  fill  your 
life.  The  Christ  is  there,  and  no  matter  how  the 
storm  rages  on  the  surface  or  how  you  rock  in  the 
little  boat  of  your  personality  on  the  storm-tossed  sea 
of  life,  still  you  know  that  at  the  first  call  for  help 
you  will  see  The  Christ  walking  on  the  water  and  will 
hear  the  command,  "Peace,  be  still/* 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    CYCLE   OF    FULFILLMENT 

"And  then  shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of 
man  in  heaven :  and  then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the 
earth  mourn,  and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  man 
coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power  and 
great  glory."  St.  Matthew  XXIV.  30. 

The  year  1912  marks  the  beginning  of  a  most  im- 
portant era  in  the  history  of  the  world.  As  the  earth, 
in  its  yearly  journey  around  the  sun,  passes  through 
a  sign  of  the  zodiac  each  month,  so  does  our  solar 
system  during  its  great  journey  around  the  central 
sun  of  this  universe  (Alcyone),  pass  through  each 
sign  of  the  zodiac;  but  in  this  greater  cycle,  instead 
of  a  month,  our  solar  system  requires  approximately 
2170  years  to  traverse  each  sign.  In  this  great  jour- 
ney our  solar  system  has  reached  and  is  now  entering 
the  sign  Aquarius,  the  Man  from  the  East,  one  of 
the  four  sacred  animals  of  Ezekiel  and  the  Apocalypse, 
also  one  of  the  four  great  divisions  of  the  mundane 
cross.  On  February  seventh,  1912,  the  mystic  planet 
Uranus  also  entered  this  sign,  its  own  house,  where 
it  will  remain  about  seven  years.  Hence  the  year  1912 
marks  the  beginning  of  the  first  period  of  the  Cycle 
of  Fulfillment  for  this  present  sub-race. 

The  word  fulfillment  sends  a  thrill  of  joy  through 
the  heart,  but  let  us  consider  a  wider  meaning  of  the 
word.  A  fulfillment  is  a  just  compensation  for  that 
which  has  been  accomplished  or  attempted,  a  reaping 
of  that  which  has  been  sown,  both  good  and  evil. 
A  fulfillment  is  not  a  recompense  for  mere  suffering 
endured,  for  suffering  of  itself  has  no  purifying  or 


40  The  Voice  of  Isis 

uplifting  power,  it  is  uplifting1  only  when  the  lesson 
which  necessitated  it  has  been  learned  and  the  lacking 
Soul-quality  has  been  built  into  the  character.  This 
planet  has  passed  through  much  suffering  and  has 
had  its  lessons  to  learn,  both  as  a  living  entity  (the 
informing  principle  of  the  planet)  and  through  its 
inhabitants. 

Moses  the  great  law-giver  commanded  the  Lord's 
chosen  people  that,  after  the  completion  of  every 
seventh  sabbath  of  years,  they  should  celebrate  the  fol- 
lowing year  as  a  Year  of  Jubilee.  This  mystic  cycle  ob- 
served literally  every  fiftieth  year  has  the  same  sig- 
nificance as  the  Cycle  of  Fulfillment.  During  the  Year 
of  Jubilee  all  debtors  were  released  from  prison  and  all 
slaves  set  free,  and  in  this  Cycle  of  Fulfillment  all  the 
forces,  powers  and  capacities  within  the  individual, 
the  Race  and  the  planet,  which  have  been  imprisoned 
for  indebtedness  to  the  Law,  will  be  released.  This 
does  not  mean,  however,  that  any  will  be  exempted 
from  paying  karmic  debts,  but  that  those  who  were 
in  prison  to  the  Law  for  debts  will  be  released  or  given 
an  opportunity  to  work  them  out  during  this  period. 

The  lower  aspects  of  all  these  powers  and  forces 
must  first  be  reaped  and  the  adjustment  made  upon 
the  lower  planes  ere  the  higher  phases  of  the  fulfill- 
ment can  be  brought  about.  The  reaping  of  the  har- 
vest has  already  begun,  but  ere  it  can  be  garnered  into 
the  great  granary  it  must  pass  through  the  winnowing ; 
the  chaff  and  dirt  must  be  blown  away  and  only  the 
golden  grain  remain.  The  elements  have  been  cast  into 
the  crucible  and  the  fires  must  burn  until  all  the  baser 
elements  rise  to  the  surface  and  are  removed  ere  the 
gold  can  be  purified  for  the  King's  use. 

The  influence  of  Uranus  in  Aquarius  will  bring  to 
the  world  many  great  and  sudden  changes,  both  in  the 


The  Voice  of  Isis  41 

physical  conditions  of  the  planet  and  in  the  mental 
and  psychic  realms  of  its  inhabitants.  "A  partial  cat- 
aclysm occurs  at  the  close  of  every  'age'  of  the  world, 
they  say,  which  does  not  destroy  the  latter,  but  only 
changes  its  general  appearance.  New  races  of  men 
and  animals  and  a  new  flora  evolve  from  the  dissolu- 
tion of  the  precedent  ones."1  The  earth  will  have  to 
endure  not  only  changes  in  climate,  terrible  storms  and 
disasters  of  every  sort,  but  also  cataclysmic  changes  in 
its  crust  ere  the  adjustment  to  the  new  vibration  is 
accomplished  and  the  earth  is  prepared  as  a  dwelling 
place  for  the  New  Humanity. 

The  great  Law  of  Divine  Harmony2  is  forever  work- 
ing in  a  seven- fold  manner,  as  (1)  order,  (2)  com- 
pensation, (3)  karma,  (4)  vibration,  (5)  cycles,  (6) 
polarity  and  (7)  balance.  It  will  be  noted  that  vi- 
bration stands  in  the  center  of  these  manifestations 
of  the  Law.  It  is  Fohat,  the  Breath  of  Eternal  Mo- 
tion or  Thor's  Hammer,  the  Swastika,  by  the  action 
of  which  the  sparks  of  life  are  thrown  off.  The  seven 
aspects  are  like  separate  ingredients  put  into  a  vessel 
that  bread  may  be  made.  Until  the  motion  of  mixing 
(vibration)  brings  about  an  amalgamation  and  change 
of  conditions  in  the  ingredients  they  do  not  become 
dough  but  remain  flour,  yeast,  salt,  water,  etc.  Thus 
through  vibration  must  the  Law  in  its  entirety  bring 
about  the  fulfillment  of  all  earth  conditions.  Every- 
thing, from  the  planets  to  the  tiniest  grain  of  sand  of 
microscopic  bacterium,  has  its  rate  of  vibration  (key- 
note) and  its  cyclic  motion.  The  orbits  of  the  planets 
may  be  called  their  cycles  of  vibration,  the  wave- 
length of  their  oscillation,  but  within  those  great  oscil- 
lations there  are  many,  many  lesser  vibrations  (cycles) 
as  the  minute  and  the  second  vibrate  within  the  hour. 

1     Isis  Unveiled,   Blavatsky,  Vol.  II,  424. 
3  See  Chapter  XIV. 


42  The  Voice  of  Isis 

A  wind  storm  has  its  rate  of  vibration  or  key-note, 
and  everything  within  its  path,  while  vibrating  to  its 
own  keynote,  must  vibrate  in  harmony  with  the  domi- 
nant note  of  the  storm  or  be  swept  away.  This  planet 
in  fulfilling  the  Law  as  vibration  and  cycles  has  reached 
a  point  in  the  zodiac  where  it  is  entering  into  new  con- 
ditions ;  where  it  must  respond  to  a  new  key-note,  its 
Cycle  of  Fulfillment,  and  fulfill  the  Law  in  its  entirety 
or  be  swept  away.  As  it  responds  to  this  new  vibra- 
tion everything  upon  it  must  accommodate  itself  to  the 
new  conditions.  The  failure  of  certain  factors  to  adapt 
themselves  will  bring  about  the  storms  and  cataclysmic 
changes  which  will  adjust  conditions  to  the  new  note 
with  startling  suddenness,  just  as  a  tree  which  remains 
rigid  and  refuses  to  adapt  itself  to  the  storm  will  be 
suddenly  broken  off  or  uprooted. 

Every  planet  in  its  course  of  development  has  to 
meet  the  forces  sent  forth  from  all  the  starry  worlds 
and  systems.  Those  which  are  in  advance  of  it  will 
send  to  it  overwhelming  force,  almost  greater  than  it 
can  bear,  while  those  which  are  less  advanced  will  draw 
from  it  with  a  grasping  force.  But  there  comes  a  time 
in  the  life  of  every  planet,  as  well  as  in  the  life  of 
every  individual,  when  a  crisis  is  reached.  In  the 
case  of  a  planet  this  point  is  generally  reached  toward 
the  close  of  the  Fifth  or  the  beginning  of  the  Sixth 
Great  Race.  Then  every  effort  is  made  to  tear  it  to 
pieces;  all  the  forces,  both  within  and  without,  are 
exerted  in  an  attempt  at  disruption,  an  attempt  to 
tear  the  planet  or  individual  into  separate  fragments. 
Only  those  who  can  endure  this  great  cosmic  testing 
and  come  out  of  the  fiery  ordeal  alive  can  survive  and 
continue  their  evolution.  The  heavens  are  full  of  wan- 
dering comets,  asteroids  and  fragments  of  planets,  all 
that  is  left  of  worlds  which  have  gone  to  pieces  under 


The  Voice  of  Isis  43 

this  great  test.  These  fragments  are  destined  to  spend 
eons  of  time  wandering  in  space  ere  they  can  once  more 
be  gathered  together  and  obtain  the  force  necessary 
to  become  a  planet,  or  until  they  are  drawn  into  some 
evolving  planet  whose  vibrations  are  in  harmony  with 
theirs. 

Great  alchemical  changes  are  transpiring  within  and 
around  the  earth  that  will  terminate  in  cataclysms  of 
periodic  activity.  These  are  not  altogether  malign  in- 
fluences, for  among  the  stars  astronomy  and  astrology 
agree  that  there  are  no  malign  and  no  beneficent  plan- 
ets, in  the  ordinary  accepted  meaning  of  the  terms,  all 
is  Cosmic  Law.  The  peculiar  force  exerted  by  every 
star  in  the  firmament  upon  every  other  star  is  just  that 
force  which  is  needed  for  each  particular  star's  well 
being  at  the  time.  The  earth  today,  in  entering  the 
first  period  of  its  Cycle  of  Fulfillment,  is  meeting  the 
influence  of  planets  whose  force  and  light  have  been 
traveling  for  ages  and  ages,  but  which  are  only  just 
now  beginning  to  penetrate  its  atmosphere.  Some  of 
these  forces  might  be  called  malign  and  some  bene- 
ficient,  but  the  influence  of  each  is  necessary  to  the 
earth's  evolution.  The  coming  of  these  forces  is  not 
accidental,  nor  are  they  coming  in  a  haphazard  manner. 
Millions  and  millions  of  eons  ago,  ere  this  earth  was 
reborn,  ere  the  Sons  of  Mind  breathed  into  the  evolu- 
tion of  this  planet  the  Breath  of  Divine  Life,  those 
distant  firmaments  were  set  in  their  particular  and  ap- 
pointed places  and  the  influences  sent  out  from  their 
centers  were  so  timed  as  to  reach  the  newborn  earth 
at  the  exact  period  when  those  particular  forces  would 
be  needed  to  push  it  on  toward  its  fulfillment.  Con- 
ceive of  a  constant  pressure  exerted  upon  the  earth's 
surface  from  all  the  planets  and  stars,  and  at  the  same 
time  a  pressure  from  within,  a  force  going  outward  to 


44  The  Voice  of  Isis 

impinge  upon  all  the  stars.  As  long  as  these  forces  are 
evenly  distributed  the  result  is  that  the  earth's  crust 
becomes  more  and  more  consolidated  and  at  the  same 
time  purified.  Because  of  this  pressure  many  alchemi- 
cal changes  are  taking  place.  Liquids  are  being  trans- 
formed into  solids;  solids  are  being  transmuted  into 
gases  and  gases  are  becoming  luminous  ether  and  so 
forth.  Thus  the  earth  is  slowly  being  prepared  to  be- 
come a  sun.  In  its  present  state,  were  the  earth  sub- 
jected to  the  forces  which  operate  through  a  sun,  it 
would  be  instantly  volatilized  into  a  cloud  of  gaseous 
matter.  It  must  be  tested  and  tried ;  not  as  a  punish- 
ment, but  as  a  necessary  preparation  for  its  work  as 
a  sun.  No  planet  can  become  a  shining,  burning  sun 
until  it  has  passed  this  crucial  test,  until  the  without 
and  the  within  are  perfectly  balanced  and  have  com- 
pacted it  into  a  state  that  nothing  can  destroy  or,  in 
occult  parlance,  until  it  has  become  the  "Diamond 
Heart."  Only  when  a  planet  has  obtained  at-one- 
ment  or  has  assimilated  all  the  forces  of  the  stars  and 
planets  and  all  the  inter-stellar  spaces,  can  it  be  said 
to  have  conquered  and  become  a  sun,  ready  to  take 
its  place  in  the  grand  procession  around  the  Central 
Sun.  The  sun  of  this  solar  system  is  such  a  con- 
queror and  all  the  planets  and  stars  of  our  cosmos 
are  in  varying  stages  or  degrees  of  development  to- 
ward this  great  end. 

So  must  it  be  with  you.  The  pressure  from  with- 
out cannot  harm  you  if  the  within  be  properly  bal- 
anced. When  the  forces  from  within  are  balanced 
the  outer  pressure  will  only  strengthen  the  individual- 
ity and  make  you  better  fitted  to  become  Sons  of  God. 
Keep  the  within  balanced  and,  like  the  needle  to  the 
pole,  steadily  polarized  to  The  Christ-force,  so  that 
nothing  can  move  you.  Gather  the  forces  that  are 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  45 

sent   against   you,    recognize   them   as   necessary   for 
your  evolution,  and  turn  them  to  your  advantage. 

The  influence  which  each  star  exerts  is  determined 
by  the  thought-force  generated  by  its  inhabitants,  just 
as  the  influence  of  each  individual  is  the  sum  total  of 
the  thoughts  he  continually  harbors;  for  the  aura  of 
a  man  or  a  planet  is  the  sum  total  of  the  thought-at- 
mosphere created  by  or  attracted  to  it.  The  influence 
of  the  earth  upon  the  cosmos  is  said  to  be  malign. 
The  struggle  for  supremacy,  the  selfishness,  the  greed 
for  gold  and  the  vileness  into  which  the  misuse  of  the 
serpent-power  has  plunged  its  inhabitants  naturally 
emanate  a  malign  influence;  but  nevertheless  the 
earth  has  a  great  potency  for  good,  owing  to  the  won- 
derful possibilities  residing  in  a  characteristic  that  is 
only  just  beginning  to  be  comprehended,  i.  e.,  the 
result  of  the  great  test  which  the  humanity  of  this 
globe  must  pass  through.  The  earth  is  said  to  be 
malefic  because  upon  her  bosom  is  fought  out  the 
great  struggle  between  good  and  evil.  It  is  here 
that  the  Great  Initiator  (Saturn)  stands.  This  is 
his  plane  of  manifestation.  Here  it  is  that  human- 
ity is  confronted  with  the  great  problem  of  the  crea- 
tive power  of  sex  and  its  higher  possibilities,  to- 
gether with  its  temptations  and  its  power  to  degrade 
and  debase.  But  through  the  lessons  learned  by  its 
terrible  suffering  humanity  is  raised  to  a  higher  state. 
The  overcoming  and  the  learning  of  the  lessons  of  the 
creative  power  will  give  not  only  to  man,  but  also 
to  the  planet  upon  which  this  battle  is  waged,  a  glo- 
rious place  in  the  cosmos.  Therefore,  instead  of  the 
earth  being  malign,  the  influence  it  sends  out  is  one 
of  patient  endurance  and  determined  victory.  Vic- 
tory over  discouragement  is  one  of  the  greatest 
victories  man  can  win.  For  this  reason  this  planet 


46  The  Voice  of  Isis 

sends  out  into  space  the  most  wonderful  melody  of 
all  the  planets,  for  only  here  is  the  chord  of  suffering 
endured  and  discouragement  conquered  blended  with 
the  key-note  of  the  globe,  the  earth  being  the  only 
planet  that  has  a  base  clef  of  suffering  to  complete 
its  chord. 

The  earth  is  the  eighth  note  in  the  celestial  scale, 
and  like  the  eighth  note  in  music,  while  it  completes 
one  octave  it  becomes  the  first  note  in  a  new  and 
higher  octave.  Ultimately  the  earth  will  stand  forth 
as  the  brightest  sun  in  this  system,  in  fact  it  will  be- 
come a  Pole  Star  and  reach  into  an  advanced  system. 
It  will  send  forth  an  influence  without  which  the  per- 
fect evolution  of  all  the  other  planetary  bodies  would 
be  incomplete.  This  earth  is  the  stage  upon  which 
is  to  be  enacted  a  new  and  grander  drama  of  life,  and 
today  the  characters  in  the  drama  are  being  assem- 
bled and  the  stage  is  being  set. 

The  year  1912  is  therefore  but  the  dawn  of  the 
Cycle  of  Fulfillment,  the  time  prophesied  in  the  text 
quoted  at  the  head  of  this  lesson,  the  Sign  of  the  Son 
of  Man.  This  sign  is  none  other  than  the  celestial 
sign  Aquarius  into  which  we  are  now  entering.  The 
Son  of  Man  comes  in  heaven  because  our  solar  system, 
for  the  next  2170  years  will  be  passing  through  this 
sign,  during  which  the  forces  symbolized  by  Aquarius 
will  be  focused  upon  it.  And  only  after  the  purifica- 
tion, when  all  "the  tribes  of  the  earth  mourn"  can 
come  the  "power  and  great  glory"  of  the  fulfillment 
or  the  attainment  of  the  Wisdom  of  the  Divine  Man. 
This  sign  is  represented  by  a  man  pouring  water  upon 
the  earth,  symbolic  of  the  fulfillment  which  comes  as 
a  result  of  the  pouring  out  of  the  Mother-force 
(water).  In  Nature  water  is  the  chief  factor  which 
makes  the  earth  bring  forth,  while  in  man  that  which 


The  Voice  of  Isis  47 

is  symbolized  by  water — the  great  Mother-principle — 
brings  forth  spiritual  fruits. 

Since  this  is  the  Cycle  of  Fulfillment  for  the  planet, 
the  same  conditions  must  necessarily  affect  its  inhab- 
itants. As  man  is  the  .microcosm  of  the  macrocosm  he 
has  within  himself  centers  which  should  respond  to 
every  vibration  of  the  planet.  Hence  as  the  earth 
strikes  its  new  key-note  man  must  vibrate  or  attune 
himself  to  it  or  be  storm  swept  by  his  failure,  just  as 
the  fruit  and  leaves  of  certain  trees  are  stript  from  the 
branches  by  a  storm  which  only  strengthens  other 
trees. 

All  nations  are  today  feeling  the  necessity  of  ad- 
justing themselves  to  the  new  conditions  upon  which 
humanity  as  a  whole  is  entering.  This  is  especially 
noticeable  in  the  political  conditions  in  China,  Persia, 
Turkey,  Portugal  and  Mexico  and  in  the  industrial  con- 
ditions in  England,  Germany,  France  and  America. 
We  may  expect  such  turbulent  conditions  to  continue 
until  every  nation  makes  the  necessary  adjustment 
to  the  note  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Man  or  is  swept 
away,  as  the  ancient  government  of  China  has  been. 

Within  the  nations  every  organization  and  move- 
ment, whether  political,  economic,  philanthropic,  phil- 
osophical, religious,  mystical  or  whatnot,  must  be 
shaken  to  its  foundations,  must  have  all  the  dead  leaves 
of  old  ideas  and  conditions  stripped  from  it  and  prove 
whether  it  be  founded  upon  the  eternal  principles  of 
truth,  justice,  unselfishness,  love  and  brotherhood  or 
upon  the  dictates  of  selfishness,  ambition,  injustice 
and  greed.  And  within  the  ranks  of  all  organized 
efforts  of  mankind  each  individual  will  have  to  face 
similar  testings  and  adjustments,  modified  by  his  or 
her  Karma,  to  prove  the  nature  and  worth  of  the 
principles  of  life  he  or  she  is  following.  But  above 


48  The  Voice  of  Isis 

all,  the  new  conditions  will  affect  all  those  who  have 
devoted  themselves  to  the  study  of  the  occult,  who  are 
delving  into  the  deeper  mysteries  of  Being,  who  are 
trying  to  live  The  Christ-life.  For  out  of  these  must 
be  gathered  the  mystic  hundred  and  forty  and  four 
thousand  who  shall  have  the  Father's  name  written  in 
their  foreheads  (opening  of  the  Third  Eye). 

Many  individuals  find  themselves  suffering  from 
poverty,  sickness  or  persistent  adversities  until  hope 
seems  dead.  This  is  because  they  have  turned  their 
backs  upon  the  world  and  hence  find  all  the  world 
against  them.  They  no  longer  serve  the  world  and  it 
no  longer  rewards  them.  They  suffer  because,  having 
turned  from  the  world,  they  have  not  yet  sounded  the 
key-note  of  the  new  life  by  which  alone  they  can  enter 
into  its  rewards.  They  are  passing  over  the  interval 
between  the  two  notes,  and  it  will  be  longer  or  shorter 
according  to  their  ability  to  awaken  to  the  new  vibra- 
tion. This  period  is  symbolized  in  occult  literature 
by  the  Great  Abyss.  There  is,  however,  a  narrow 
bridge  over  this  Abyss  builded  of  naked  swords,  which 
leads  to  the  Eternal  City,  over  which  all  must  walk  with 
bleeding  feet.  But  there  is  a  Hand  to  guide  and  a 
Voice  to  cheer  you  if  you  but  seek  them  in  the  darkness. 
It  is  always  darkest  just  before  the  dawn.  All  old  kar- 
mic  conditions  must  be  swept  away  ere  the  new  era 
can  manifest.  Let  no  earnest  seeker  after  Wisdom 
grow  discouraged,  but  hold  fast  to  the  guiding  Hand 
and  trust  to  the  Power  which  shall  bring  him  safely 
through. 

The  earth  could  no  more  bear  the  whole  force  of  a 
sun  without  being  consumed  than  you,  as  individuals 
or  this  Movement  today  as  a  unit,  could  express  that 
which  you  are  destined  to  express.  Nor  could  you 
now  stand  in  the  fires  of  spiritual  force  which  you  must 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  49 

ultimately  transmit  any  more  than  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  could  live  upon  it  were  it  suddenly  to  take  its 
place  as  a  sun.  At  some  period  you  must  be  Sons  of 
Righteousness,  but  you  must  grow  into  it.  You  must 
be  brave  to  endure  the  growing  pains ;  for  you  will 
never  find  the  Place  of  Peace  which  will  balance  and 
hold  all  the  forces  under  perfect  control  if  you  cannot 
endure  the  testing,  learn  the  Wisdom  and  gain  the 
blessings  that  every  battle  holds  for  you.  Find  the 
Place  of  Peace.  Make  the  pressure  within  evenly  and 
perfectly  balanced  that  the  pressure  from  without  may 
strengthen  you.  Be  calm  and  rest  in  the  midst  of 
the  storm.  Realize  the  absolute  calm  and  rest  which 
dwells  in  the  midst  of  a  vortex.  Repeat  constantly :  "I 
am  strong.  I  can  conquer.  My  forces  are  not  scat- 
tered because  they  are  evenly  balanced  and  under  per- 
fect control."  Then  will  the  forces  that  come  against 
you  form  a  protecting  aura  of  strength  and  power 
which  nothing  harmful  can  enter.  Let  this  be  your 
watchword:  "I  am  balanced.  I  am  calm.  If  the  Law 
be  with  me  who  can  be  against  me?"  If  you  can  gain 
this  realization,  have  no  fear  for  the  result. 

Once  let  your  consciousness  realize,  if  only  for  a 
moment,  the  peace  and  power  of  Divine  Love,  and 
you  have  donned  a  shield  and  buckler  which  shall 
preserve  you  in  the  day  of  trial.  Some  day  you  will 
find  your  consciousness  functioning  within  that  radi- 
ant center  where  Love  is  all-creative,  and  Power 
is  omnipotent,  and  Glory  is  unspeakable.  There  you 
shall  meet  the  Great  Mother  face  to  face. 


CHAPTER  III. 
DEGREES  AND  ORDERS 

DEGREES  OF  EVOLUTION. 

Before  taking  up  the  spiritual  aspects  of  the  teach- 
ings of  The  Order  of  the  15,  it  is  necessary  to  give 
a  brief  summary  of  its  philosophical  and  geometrical 
basis. 

This  chapter  is  necessarily  somewhat  mathematical 
and  technical  and  hence  will  be  more  or  less  difficult 
for  some  minds,  but  if  any  who  find  it  so  will  care- 
fully re-read  it  after  studying  the  chapters  which  fol- 
low they  will  have  little  trouble  in  grasping  its  de- 
tails. Its  importance  at  the  beginning  of  the  book 
is  that  in  it  is  set  forth  an  outline  of  The  Order  of  the 
75,  the  reasons  for  its  existence  and  its  name,  its  re- 
lations to  other  Orders  and  its  special  work  in  the 
Grand  Plan. 

It  is  said  that  "God  geometrizes."  This  is  a  truth 
founded  on  the  fact,  already  well  demonstrated  by 
science,  that  all  forces  flow  and  act  along  geometrical 
lines.  This  is  as  true  of  the  forces  which  create  a 
world  as  of  those  which  create  a  snow  crystal.  The 
cosmos — the  known  universe — is  composed  of  seven 
degrees  or  states  of  matter.  These  states  of  matter 
correspond  to  the  seven  states  of  consciousness  into 
which  all  manifestations  of  the  One  Life  are  divided, 
— etheric,  mineral,  vegetable,  animal,  human,  super- 
human and  Divine. 

This  seven-fold  division  of  the  cosmos  is  illustrated 
by  a  plant.  It  first  exists  as  a  seed,  in  which  are  latent 
all  the  powers  and  possibilities  of  the  mature  plant. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  51 

As  a  seed  (its  7th  degree)  it  has  only  the  power  to 
imbibe  two  kinds  of  food,  water  (1st  kind)  and  heat 
(2nd  kind).  These  it  assimilates  and  builds  into 
growth  which  bursts  the  confining  shell  and  permits 
the  sprout  to  be  born  into  the  earth  (its  6th  degree) 
outside  its  shell.  With  the  development  of  the  sprout 
and  roots  it  is  able  to  select  various  classes  of  a  new 
food  (3rd  kind),  earth,  and  develops  the  strength 
and  stability  that  enables  it  to  be  born  into  the  new 
world  of  air  (its  5th  degree).  Here  it  puts  forth 
special  organs,  the  leaves,  to  assimilate  the  new  food 
(4th  kind),  the  gases  of  the  air.  It  thus  acquires  the 
strength  and  ability  to  put  forth  a  bud  which  soon 
unfolds  into  a  blossom.  This  blossom  opens  its  heart 
to  another  world  (4th  degree),  the  light,  where  it 
assimilates  still  another  food  (5th  kind),  the  emana- 
tions from  the  sun.  This  enables  the  plant  ta  replace 
its  beautiful  blossom  by  the  fruit  and  be  born  into 
a  still  higher  degree  (the  3rd).  The  fruit  now  ab- 
sorbs a  new  food  (6th  kind)  life-essence,  which  gives 
it  the  power  to  sustain  life  when  eaten  and  thus  enter 
a  higher  degree  (the  2nd).  As  it  ripens  it  absorbs 
still  another  food  (7th  kind),  the  creative  power  of  the 
One  Life,  which  enables  it  to  enter  the  First  Degree, 
manifest  the  intelligence  necessary  to  register  every 
step  of  its  growth  and  development  within  the  seed, 
store  up  the  potency  and  create  after  its  kind. 

The  matter  composing  a  stone  manifests  the  geo- 
metrical forms  of  the  crystals  composing  it ;  the  matter 
composing  a  daisy  will  manifest  in  the  geometrical 
form  of  a  daisy;  the  matter  composing  an  animal  fol- 
lows the  lines  of  that  particular  species,  etc.  In  the 
expression  of  these  various  geometrical  forms,  states 
of  matter  and  consciousness,  each  has  its  own  numer- 
ical value.  A  crystal  has  a  certain  characteristic  num- 


52  The  Voice  of  Isis 

her  of  sides  and  angles,  a  daisy  a  certain  number  of 
petals,  an  animal  a  certain  number  of  tissues,  organs, 
senses,  etc.  The  expiession  of  the  geometrical  law 
of  the  universe  can  thus  be  traced  in  all  the  kingdoms, 
for  all  nature-forms  can  be  analyzed  into  a  few  single 
geometrical  figures  and  their  combinations.  Every 
plant  that  grows  follows  certain  geometrical  lines, 
sending  its  roots  in  one  direction,  its  trunk  in  another 
and  its  branches  in  diverse  other  directions,  yet  all 
combining  to  make  the  perfect  tree. 

All  growth  must  be  along  these  lines ;  for  there 
is  but  one  law  of  growth  behind  all  manifested  forms 
of  the  One  Life.  The  above  illustrates  perfectly  the 
stages  of  your  own  growth ;  so,  study  it  carefully 
when  you  are  inclined  to  be  impatient  at  your  prog- 
ress, and  realize  that  all  advance  is  but  a  growth 
resulting  from  the  assimilation  of  such  food  as  you 
are  able  to  digest. 

Man  the  thinker  carries  this  same  law  into  the 
mental  world  and  we  find  mankind  separated  into 
seven  great  classes  called  Degrees,  their  sub-divisions 
being  called  Orders.  But  it  must  be  remembered  that 
these  are  but  convenient  terms  used  to  represent  the 
conditions  under  which,  and  the  lines  along  which, 
evolution  takes  place  just  as  a  daisy  is  divided  into 
root,  stalk,  leaf  and  blossom  according  to  its  stage  of 
growth  or  degree  of  evolution,  yet  all  are  but  parts 
of  the  one  plant. 

Those  great  spiritual  Beings — our  Elder  Brothers — 
who  have  evolved  through  the  Orders  of  the  four 
lower  great  divisions  or  Degrees  and  have  attained  all 
the  wisdom  to  be  gained  therefrom  are  now  evolving 
in  the  Orders  of  the  Degrees  above  the  human  and 
hence  are  called  Initiates,  Adepts,  Mahatmas  or 
Masters  of  Wisdom  according  to  Their  stage  of  spir- 
itual evolution. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  53 

The  Great  White  Lodge — which  is  the  aggregate 
of  all  these  Great  Souls  who,  through  repeated  experi- 
ences and  determined  effort  through  many  earth  lives, 
have  obtained  Mastery,  firstly,  over  the  passions,  ap- 
petites and  desires  of  the  personal  self,  and  secondly, 
over  the  forces  of  their  bodies  and  the  life-currents  of 
the  cosmos — is  working  back  of  and  within  every 
movement  in  any  way  benefiting  mankind,  and  is  con- 
stantly manipulating  currents  of  force  for  the  advance- 
ment of  evolution.  This  body  of  Masters  is  called 
a  Lodge  because,  like  a  lodge,  it  is  divided  into  De- 
grees and  Orders  corresponding  to  and  directly 
connected  with  the  various  Degrees  and  Orders 
of  humanity.  Every  Order  in  each  Degree  is 
thoroughly  organized  for  its  particular  work.  The 
Lodge  must  work  in  humanity  through  Degrees 
and  Orders  corresponding  to  the  lines  of  its  own 
divisions  and  each  Master  must  work  through  the 
Degree  and  Order  which  corresponds  to  the  one 
in  which  He  finds  Himself  in  the  Great  White 
Lodge,  for  such  is  the  geometrical  plan  of  the 
universe,  and  evolution  can  advance  only  along  these 
general  lines.  Every  avenue  for  aiding  humanity  is 
taken  advantage  of  and  every  channel  is  utilized  to 
the  extent  to  which  it  makes  its  use  possible,  for 
there  is  an  Order  of  Mastery  affinitized  to  every  stage 
of  human  evolution.  Therefore  every  movement, 
whether  spiritual,  ethical,  social  or  political,  that  is 
working  toward  the  betterment  of  mankind  receives 
inspiration  and  help  from  the  great  Spiritual  Beings 
who  are  affinitized  to  that  particular  avenue  of  help- 
fulness. No  matter  what  lines  of  constructive  thought 
you  may  be  interested  in  it  will  be  possible  for  you  to 
receive  divine  inspiration  from  these  Great  Teachers 
couched  in  terms  comprehensible  to  you.  In  Revela- 


54  The  Voice  of  Isis 

tion  we  read  that  there  were  twelve  thousand  sealed 
out  of  every  tribe.  This  symbol  illustrates  the  above 
mentioned  law,  namely,  that  it  is  possible  to  reach 
the  heights  of  spiritual  attainment  (Mastery)  out  of 
every  condition  of  life,  for  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel 
symbolize  the  twelve  classes  of  humanity  born  under 
the  twelve  signs  of  the  zodiac. 

Each  great  Degree  of  humanity  is  divided  into  seven 
steps  or  Orders,  which  correspond  to  the  seven  notes 
of  the  musical  scale,  and  the  seven  color  rays  of  the 
solar  spectrum,  hence  manifest  perfect  harmony  or  the 
pure  white  light  of  the  sun.  They  are  determined 
mathematically  and  arranged  geometrically  in  accord- 
ance with  the  One  Law,  i.  e.,  Divine  Harmony,  which 
must  necessarily  act  along  geometrical  lines.  Every 
human  being  manifesting  during  the  present  cycle  finds 
itself  in  its  proper  Order  in  one  of  these  seven  great 
divisions  or  Degrees. 

THE  SEVENTH  DEGREE  OF  HUMANITY. 

This  Degree  is  composed  of  seven  Orders  and  com- 
prises all  entities  who  have  reached  the  self-conscious 
stage  of  evolution,  but  who  have  not  yet  progressed 
very  far  above  the  animal  kingdom.  It  includes  the 
lowest  types  of  savages.  The  lower  Orders  of  this  7th 
Degree  are,  as  it  were,  the  kindergarten  of  The  Lodge, 
and  are  just  as  truly  under  its  guidance  and  protec- 
tion as  are  the  higher  Orders.  In  fact  the  lowest  Order 
of  this  Degree  overlaps  the  animal  kingdom  in  that  it 
embraces  those  anthropoid  apes  which,  as  the  degen- 
erate descendants  of  certain  Lemeuro-Atlantean  races, 
contain  a  spark  of  the  Divine  Fire.  "Such  anthropoids 
form  an  exception  because  they  were  not  intended  by 
Nature,  but  are  the  direct  product  and  creation  of 
'senseless'  man"  x  of  those  early  races.  "After  the  mid- 
dle point  of  the  Fourth  Race  in  the  Fourth  Round  on 

1  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky     Vol.    1,  p.   207. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  55 

our  globe — no  more  Monads  can  enter  the  human 
kingdom.  The  door  is  closed  for  this  Cycle,  and  the 
balance  struck."1  Since  every  spark  of  the  Divine 
Fire  is  an  emanation  from  a  great  Master,  all  en- 
tities containing  such  a  spark,  no  matter  how  ob- 
tained, must  necessarily  be  a  part  of  the  pody  of  their 
Parent-Master,  and  their  evolution  must  be  watched 
over  and  guided  by  Him  until  they  are  fitted  to  become 
one  with  him.  The  higher  Orders  of  this  Degree  include 
the  more  advanced  members  of  the  lower  races  and 
those  members  of  the  advanced  races  who  may  have 
made  physical  and  intellectual  progress  but  who  still 
have  only  a  low  degree  of  spiritual  development. 

THE    6TH    DEGREE. 

The  Sixth  Degree,  with  its  seven  Orders,  comprises 
all  those  in  the  position  of  teachers  or  leaders  among 
the  different  races  who  are  working  consciously  to- 
ward the  betterment  of  humanity,  but  who  have  not 
yet  realized  their  divine  guidance  or  the  assistance 
given  them  by  the  Masters  of  Wisdom,  and  who,  per- 
haps, have  never  heard  of  The  Lodge  of  Masters.  Its 
lowest  Orders  are  composed  of  those  untutored  sav- 
ages who,  nevertheless,  are  leading  and  guiding  those 
under  them  toward  their  highest  conception  of  Truth, 
while  the  highest  Orders  embrace  those  humanitarian 
or  philanthropic  workers  among  the  more  advanced 
races  who  are  earnestly  seeking  the  physical,  moral, 
intellectual,  or  social  betterment  of  the  Race. 

THE  5TH  DEGREE. 

The  seven  Orders  of  the  Fifth  Degree  include 
those  who  are  more  or  less  interested  in  esoteric  mat- 
ters ;  who  are  not  satisfied  with  the  outer  manifesta- 
tions of  life,  but  who  are  seeking  for  the  Soul  of 
things ;  who  have  some  knowledge  of  The  Lodge  as 

llbid,  p.  205. 


56  The  Voice  of  Isis 

a  fact,  and  who  are  studying  along  general  occult  or 
mystical  lines. 

THE  4TH   DEGREE. 

This  Degree  is  graded  in  sequence  according  to 
its  Orders,  and  embraces  all  those  earnest  students 
and  teachers  who  have  taken  their  lower  nature  in 
hand  and  are  deliberately  striving  to  lead  such  a 
spiritual  life  as  will  bring  them  into  personal  touch 
with  the  Masters  of  The  Lodge. 

The  Third,  Second  and  First  Degrees  are  most 
sacred  and  above  our  present  comprehension,  so  it 
will  be  impossible  to  consider  them  at  this  time.  For 
when  one  enters  the  Third  Degree  he  has  become 
more  than  human,  he  has  entered  the  super-human. 
Yet  this  Degree  overlaps  the  human  (Fourth  Degree) 
just  as  the  human  overlaps  the  animal. 

THE  ORDERS  OF  THE  FOURTH   DEGREE. 

Since  it  is  in  the  Fourth  Degree  that  all  who  are 
drawn  into  this  Movement  are  now  functioning  we 
will  consider  in  some  detail  the  seven  steps  or  Orders 
into  which  it  is  divided.  The  highest  Order  of  the 
lower  (Fifth)  Degree  overlaps  the  lowest  Order  of 
the  Fourth  Degree,  just  as  the  eighth  note  in  music  is 
the  completion  of  the  lower  octave  and  the  beginning 
of  the  succeeding  higher  octave. 

Admission  to  the  organized  work  of  these  Orders 
does  not  rest  with  any  organization  save  the  Great 
White  Lodge,  and  it  alone  can  grant  or  withhold 
membership,  and  it  does  this  upon  the  inner  planes 
with  often  no  outward  recognition  on  the  physical 
plane.  The  object  of  these  Orders  of  Evolution  is  the 
spiritualization  of  matter  after  the  crucifixion  is  com- 
pleted. 

The  mathematical  law  for  the  formation  of  the 
Orders  is  as  follows,  each  Order  taking  its  name 
from  the  sum  of  the  digits  composing  its  number: 


The  Voice  of  Isis  57 

FIG.  No.  1.  FIG.  No.  2. 

ORDERS  THE  CROSS  OF 

MATTER 

1.  1= :1  Positive         Negative 

2.  1+2-3 

3.  1+2+3=6 

4..  1+2+3+4=10 

5.  1+2+3+4+5=15 


6.  1+2+3+4+5+6=21  21 

7.  1+2+3+4+5+6+7-28 

8.  1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8=36 


28 
36 


The  cross  was  not  first  introduced  in  the  Christian 
Era,  but  is  the  most  primitive  of  all  symbols,  repre- 
senting the  real  crucifixion  or  involution  or  the  descent 
of  Spirit  into  matter  where  it  must  be  crucified  upon 
the  mundane  cross  and  pass  along  the  geometrical 
lines  of  evolution.  The  cross,  being  the  fourth  geomet- 
rical figure,  represents  the  completion  of  involution, 
the  turning  point  where  evolution  begins,  or  the 
Fourth  Degree.  This  cross  is  also  the  Tree  of  Life, 
planted  in  the  midst  of  the  Garden  when  mankind 
fell  into  generation,  by  whose  fruit,  if  ye  eat  thereof, 
"ye  shall  become  as  Gods."  We  will  therefore  begin  at 
the  foot  of  the  cross  with  the  Order  of  the  36  which 
may  be  said  to  be  the  root  of  the  Tree  of  Life,  or  the 
Guardian  Wall  around  the  foot  of  the  cross. 

NEGATIVE  ORDERS 

THE  ORDER  OF  THE  36. 

This  Order  is  the  negative  aspect  of  the  highest 
Order  (1)  of  this  Degree  or  is  the  point  where  the 
force  of  the  1  enters  the  earth-plane.  Naturally  the 
persons  composing  this  Order  are  those  who  through 
their  normal  evolution  have  become  aware  of  The 


58  The  Voice  of  Isis 

Christ-force  working  in  them  and  in  humanity  as 
a  whole  and  who  have  lifted  up  their  eyes  to  the 
cross  and  realized  something  of  the  meaning  of  the 
crucifixion  upon  it.  As  long  as  Christendom  worships 
The  Christ  crucified  it  is  but  driving  the  nails  more 
firmly,  for  The  Christ  is  crucified  by  being  immersed 
in  matter  that  matter  may  be  redeemed;  a  voluntary 
sacrifice  to  which  man's  disobedience  has  added  cruelty 
and  suffering. 

The  Master  Jesus  is  the  great  Hierarchical  Ruler  of 
the  Order  of  the  1  and  consequently  must  overshadow 
its  negative  expression,  the  Order  of  the  36.  That 
which  is  known  as  the  Christian  religion  is  a  manifes- 
tation of  this  Order  on  earth,  but  this  Order  also  em- 
braces all  those,  in  whatever  church,  society  or  organ- 
ization, who  have  recognized  the  divine  Christ-force 
within  them  and  are  determinately  seeking  to  balance 
this  force  in  their  lives. 

This  Order  receives  its  name  from  the  sum  of  the 
first  eight  numerals.  Eight  is  the  number  of  evolu- 
tion and  therefore,  according  to  mathematical  laws, 
evolution  alone  can  admit  a  candidate  to  this  Order. 
The  promulgation  of  the  Wisdom  Religion  in  this 
country  is  an  attempt  to  build  up  a  strong  Guardian 
Wall  around  the  cross,  by  teaching  the  vital  truths 
back  of  the  symbols  of  Christianity ;  an  attempt  to  cul- 
tivate and  to  water  the  tap-root  of  the  Tree  of  Life 
in  humanity. 

Today  the  Order  of  the  36  includes  all  who  have 
imbibed  anything  of  the  esoteric  truths,  and  are  en- 
deavoring to  both  live  and  teach  them,  be  they  called 
Christians,  Theosophists  or  by  any  other  name.  It  is 
the  preparatory  school  of  the  followers  of  The  Christ. 
It  also  stands  for  the  great  Universal  Church  (not 
necessarily  orthodox)  and  embraces  all  who  are  will- 


The  Voice  of  Isis  59 

ing  to  sanctify  themselves  and  work  consciously  for 
humanity.  The  Order  of  the  36  is  the  first  Order  in 
which  the  candidate  consciously  decides  to  enter  "The 
Path"  which  leads  to  Mastery.  All  of  its  members 
have  been  acquainted  with  poverty  and  suffering,  if 
not  of  body  and  estate,  then  of  mind,  through  which 
they  have  gained  such  a  realization  of  the  difference 
between  The  Christ-force  and  the  man  Jesus  that  they 
can  recognize  the  universal  Christ-principle  working  in 
humanity  even  when  expressing  itself  through  other 
avenues  than  the  teachings  of  the  Master  Jesus.  This 
realization  is  the  first  step  up  the  Mount  of  Initiation. 

THE  ORDER  'OF   THE  28. 

After  candidates  have  entered  the  Order  of  the  36 
and  have  proved  themselves  worthy  to  continue  by  the 
character  of  their  subsequent  lives,  at  once  a  new  Order 
forms  itself  and  grows  naturally  out  of  this  Order, 
just  as  new  lines  are  added  to  a  crystal.  This  new 
Order  is  composed  of  those  Souls  who  have  advanced 
a  little  beyond  their  fellows,  and  would  correspond  to 
the  inner  section  of  any  occult  organization  put  forth 
previous  to  The  Order  of  the  /f.1  It  includes  those 
in  the  orthodox  churches  who  are  no  longer  satisfied 
with  the  dead-letter  interpretations  of  the  Scriptures, 
but  who  have  listened  to  the  voice  of  their  own  Father- 
in-heaven  and  are  willing  to  express  a  greater  toler- 
ance and  accept  broader  ideas  on  spiritual  matters. 

This  is  the  Order  of  the  28.  It  is  the  sum  of  the 
numerals  of  7,  the  mystic  feminine  number.  The  end 
and  aim  of  this  Order  is  the  unfolding  of  the  teachings 
of  Isis — the  Mother  side  of  the  Godhead — and  the 
evolution  of  the  feminine  nature  or  Soul-principle 
through  the  power  of  love,  in  contradistinction  to  in- 
tellectual attainments. 

Van.   1,   1908,  at  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


60  The  Voice  of  Isis 

Isis  represents  the  power  to  bring  forth  in  humanity. 
Hence  the  geometrical  figure  symbolizing  this  Order  is 
the  square  or  the  sacrificial  stone  on  which  the  lower 
self  is  sacrificed  that  the  power  to  bring  forth  The 
Christ-man  may  be  attained. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  Orders  thus  far  considered 
are  upon  the  negative  side  of  the  cross.  (See  Fig.  2.) 
They  must  therefore  be  developed  and  given  to  human- 
ity by  the  negative  action  of  natural  development.  In 
other  words,  a  Soul  will  grow  into  these  two  Orders 
(36  and  28)  unconsciously  as  it  advances  toward  free- 
dom, with  very  little  individualized  help;  but  both 
Orders  are  advanced  collectively  by  the  Masters  of  The 
Lodge. 

Admission  to  these  Orders  depends  upon  natural 
law — the  Law  of  Growth.  A  person  enters  them  as 
soon  as  he  becomes  fit,  either  by  the  preparation  af- 
forded by  life  itself,  or  after  the  successful  passing  of 
well  defined  initiations  upon  the  inner  planes,  often 
without  the  consciousness  of  the  personality. 

POSITIVE  ORDERS. 

In  accordance  with  the  laws  of  evolution  whenever 
Souls  advance  beyond  the  general  development  of  an 
Order,  naturally  a  new  Order  forms  itself,  just  as  a 
bud  springs  from  a  branch.  In  fact  two  new  Orders 
(21  and  15)  form  themselves  simultaneously,  both  be- 
ing on  the  positive  side  of  the  cross. 

THE  ORDER  OF  THE  21. 

The  Order  of  the  21  is  the  sum  of  the  numerals  of 
6.  The  6  is  the  number  of  The  Christos-principle  or 
the  generative  power  of  the  Great  Creative  Force  of 
the  Father,  manifesting  in  and  through  the  universe, 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  61 

bringing  forth  all  forms  along  geometrical  lines.  The 
6  indicates  the  harmonizing  of  Nature,  in  its  highest 
possibilities,  through  the  operation  of  The  Christos  or 
the  informing  principle,  the  laws  of  which  are  taught 
in  this  Order.  As  Nature  grows  geometrically  and 
in  harmony,  so  this  Order  teaches  man  to  evolve  in 
harmony  by  a  study  of  the  laws  of  geometry  and 
music  as  expressed  through  form,  color  and  number, 
all  of  which  are  governed  by  the  Law  of  Vibration. 
This,  therefore,  is  pre-eminently  the  Order  concerned 
with  the  laws  of  Nature  and  their  bearing  on  the 
evolution  of  humanity.  The  persons  drawn  into  this 
intellectual  Order  are  those  who  have  a  natural  trend 
toward  geometry,  music,  color,  or  mathematical 
studies. 

THE  ORDER  OF  THE    15. 

\  •'' 

Many  Souls  grow  naturally  from  the  Order  of  the 
28  into  the  Order  of  the  21,  while  those  who  have 
specially  developed  their  love-nature  pass  into  The 
Order  of  the  15,  it  being  the  Order  that  reaches  into 
the  higher  octave  of  love,  i.  e.t  Divine  Love,  yet  it  is 
possible  to  be  in  both  Orders  at  the  same  time. 

These  two  Orders  (21  and  15)  are  put  forth  sim- 
ultaneously because  they  are  closely  interwoven,  the 
one  (21)  representing  the  Head,  or  the  development 
of  the  Intellect,  and  the  other  (15)  representing  the 
Heart  or  the  development  of  Intuition;  the  one  the 
masculine,  the  other  the  feminine  force. 

The  Order  of  the  15  is  the  sum  of  the  numerals  of 
5.  The  5  is  the  great  mystical  number  of  humanity, 
and  was  held  most  sacred  by  the  ancients.  On  their 
Temples  where  the  numerals  were  carved  in  stone  the 
number  5  was  inlaid  with  pure  gold.  The  numeral 
5  stands  for  humanity,  hence  this  Order  ordains  to 
help  humanity  to  reach  the  highest  state  of  evolu- 


62  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

tion.  Its  teachings  deal  with  the  human  every-day 
problems  which  must  be  mastered  ere  man  becomes 
more  than  man. 

This  is  the  Order  of  Transmutation  or  Alchemy. 
And  while  geometry  and  music  are  touched  upon,  more 
attention  is  given  to  the  transmutation  of  all  the  baser 
qualities,  including  the  elements  or  inner  forces  of 
all  life,  into  the  spiritual  gold  of  Regeneration  through 
the  power  of  Divine  Love. 

The  Order  of  the  15  has  always  existed,  and  traces 
of  its  various  manifestations  can  be  found  in  ancient 
and  medieval  history.  The  Order  of  the  Annuncia- 
tion, held  in  such  high  esteem  by  royalty  today,  is 
said  to  have  been  founded  by  Count  Amadeus  of 
Savoy,  but  long  before  that,  and  all  through  the  Mid- 
dle Ages,  the  number  15  was  celebrated  with  many 
religious  ceremonies  and  observances,  the  Order  of 
the  Annunciation  being  but  an  adaptation  to  Romish 
ideas  of  the  ancient  Order  of  the  15.  The  emblem 
of  the  Order  of  the  Annunciation  is  a  star  on  which 
is  represented  the  annunciation  surrounded  by  fifteen 
love-knots.  This  also  symbolizes  The  Order  of  the  15, 
for  its  mission  has  always  been,  even  in  the  darkest 
periods  of  the  world's  history,  to  announce  the  possi- 
bility of  bringing  into  manifestation  (birth)  The 
Christ-force,  which  is  brought  about  by  the  spread  of 
tolerance,  liberty  and  brotherly  love.  The  Masons, 
also,  retain  a  degree  of  this  Order,  called  the  Degree 
of  the  Fifteen,  its  main  objects  being  devoted  to  the 
spread  of  "Toleration  and  Liberty,  against  Fanaticism 
and  Persecution,  political  and  religious;  and  to  that 
of  Education,  Instruction  and  Enlightenment  against 
Error,  Barbarism  and  Ignorance."1  These  instances 
all  show  that  The  Order  of  the  15  has  always  been 

1  Morals   and  Dogma,  Pike,    p.    160-171. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  63 

the  Open  Door  through  which  the  Light  of  the  Great 
Law  has  reached  humanity  and  shown  it  how  to  evolve 
above  the  light  of  any  one  candlestick,  be  it  ever  so 
golden  or  its  light  ever  so  brilliant,  and  how  to  behold 
the  Divine  Law  which  imparts  the  Light  to  all,  giv- 
ing to  each  as  much  as  his  candle  is  able  to  manifest 
in  the  world. 

The  Order  of  the  15  is  the  Order  of  the  Holy  Grail 
whose  lessons  prepare  for  the  final  Initiation  into  the 
Order  of  the  Flame.  It  is  an  expression  of  the 
Mother-force,  the  power  of  bringing  forth.  It  is  not 
what  you  know  or  believe,  but  what  you  bring  forth 
in  your  life  that  admits  you  into  full  membership  in 
this  Order. 

The  two  Orders  (21  and  15)  have  already  been 
formed  on  the  earth-plane,  and  as  they  are  upon  the 
positive  side  of  the  cross  (Fig.  2)  the  members  of 
these  Orders  must  come  into  direct  personal  touch 
with  the  workers  of  the  Great  White  Lodge.  This 
has  already  been  done  and  a  personal  contact  has 
been  established.  Like  all  other  Orders,  however, 
membership  does  not  depend  upon  recognition  by  any 
embodied  teacher  or  teachers,  but  must  be  a  conscious 
step  taken  voluntarily  by  each  Soul  alone. 

Having  taken  this  step  alone,  apparently  in  the 
darkness,  the  pupil  will  be  brought  to  the  initiation 
which  his  demand  will  surely  bring  about.  He  will 
meet  this  initiation  either  unconsciously  through  nat- 
ural worldly  events  (events,  however,  which  he  will 
have  no  difficulty  in  connecting  with  this  great  step), 
or  consciously  in  the  higher  astral.  The  experiences 
met  with  at  this  period  will  not  consist  of  a  few  great 
Soul-stirring  events,  which  when  once  passed  entitle 
him  to  admission,  but  will  consist  of  events  which  will 
bring  to  him  a  repetition  of  experiences  which  will 


64  The  Voice  of  Isis 

force  him  to  face  himself  and  bring  to  his  conscious- 
ness every  secret  and  open  fault;  events  which  will 
force  him  to  gaze  into  the  eyes  of  the  self  that  he  has 
created  out  of  the  personality  which  his  Real  Self  (or 
Ego)  has  created  to  train  and  function  through;  the 
self  built  up  out  of  the  thought-forms  he  has  created. 
It  therefore  contains  the  essence  of  the  desires,  am- 
bitions, passions  and  aspirations  of  his  personality.  It 
is  the  Dweller  on  the  Threshold  that  each  must  meet, 
recognize  as  his  own  creation,  and  conquer. 

There  can  be  no  dodging  the  issue  or  turning  back 
from  these  events,  for  it  is  a  mathematical  law  that 
he  cannot  pass  on  until  he  has  acquired  strength  to 
conquer  these  faults,  one  by  one,  as  they  are  presented 
to  him.  If  he  refuses,  or  is  unable  to  conquer,  his 
Soul  must  wait  and  work  in  the  lower  Orders  until  it 
grows  stronger,  and  until  another  cyclic  opportunity 
for  advance  is  afforded. 

It  is  not  a  matter  of  pledges  or  words.  He  can 
never  obtain  membership  in  this  Order  until  he  is 
able  to  live  the  earlier  teachings  and  demonstrate  to 
the  world  by  his  life  that  he  has  at  least  passed  the 
earlier  tests,  and  has  made  some  successful  attempt 
to  "Let  your  light  shine  before  men,"  and  that  he  has 
been  "born  again,"  and  has  been  marked  with  the 
"New  Name"  given  by  his  Father. 

HIGHER   ORDERS. 

The  Order  of  the  10  has  not  yet  been  openly  estab- 
lished upon  the  earth-plane,  although  its  teachings  have 
been  given  esoterically  for  many  centuries.  It  was 
from  a  Master  guiding  this  esoteric  Order  that  the 
teachings  of  the  Wisdom  Religion  were  first  given  out 
to  the  Western  world. 

The  Order  of  the  10  is  the  Order  in  which  the 
teachings  of  The  Christ  receive  their  completion  upon 


The  Voice  of  Isis  65 

the  earth-plane.  It  is  necessarily  composed  only  of 
those  who  can  receive  direct  teachings  from  the  Mas- 
ters of  Wisdom.  These  are  the  disciples  who  "sit  at 
the  feet  of  the  Master." 

The  Order  of  the  6  is  the  sum  of  the  numerals  of 
3  and  will  be  brought  to  humanity  by  the  coming 
Avatar. 

The  Order  of  the  3  and  the  i.  These  perfected 
Orders  are  beyond  the  comprehension  of  man  in 
his  present  state  of  spiritual  development,  the  Order  of 
the  I  overlapping  a  new  (Third)  Great  Degree,  the 
Divine. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   WISDOM    RELIGION. 

"Wisdom  is  the  principal  thing;  therefore  get 
wisdom;  and  with  all  thy  getting  get  understand- 
ing. .  .  .  She  shall  give  to  thine  head  an  orna- 
ment of  grace :  a  crown  of  glory  shall  she  deliver 

to  thee." 

Proverbs  IV.  7-9 

The  Wisdom  Religion  is  the  one  original  religion 
given  to  all  mankind.  The  Greeks  called  it  Theophania1 
or  "the  science  of  the  manifestation  or  appearance  of 
the  gods  to  men."  It  is  the  heritage  of  the  human  race 
and  no  one  nation  or  people  can  claim  it  as  theirs  to 
the  exclusion  of  others.  All  so-called  religions— 
which  are  racial  and  limited — are  but  the  various  hu- 
man interpretations  of  the  one  Wisdom  Religion  by 
various  peoples,  each  adapting  it,  according  to  their 
racial  type  of  thought,  to  their  particular  point  of 
view,  and  limiting  and  overlaying  it  with  their  hu- 
man misconceptions.  It  is  the  one  or  first  and  Supreme 
Wisdom.  Pythagoras  termed  it,  "The  Gnosis  or 
Knowledge  of  things  that  are."  This  seems  to  be  the 
best  definition,  for  it  makes  the  great  distinction  be- 
tween the  teachings  of  many  modern  so-called  re- 
ligions— which  deal  almost  entirely  with  theories  about 
things  which  even  the  propounders  thereof  do  not  pre- 
tend to  know,  but  which  they  expect  their  followers  to 
accept  because  these  theories  have  been  accepted  by 
their  denomination  for  ages — and  the  One  Religion 
which  was  taught  to  man  only  by  those  who  absolutely 
knew. 

1  Theos,    gods;    phaenomai,   appear. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  67 

Many  centuries  before  the  origin  of  the  Christian 
religion,  there  existed  in  the  ancient  land  of  Atlantis, 
and  later  in  Asia,  a  Wisdom  Religion  which  spread 
over  the  then  known  world.  Fragments  of  this  re- 
ligion, carved  upon  temples,  pillars  and  tablets  by  the 
ancient  Babylonians,  Egyptians,  Chinese  and  Hindus, 
also  by  the  Persians  and  Mesopotamians,  are  still  de- 
cipherable. In  the  beginning  this  one  Wisdom  Re- 
ligion was  taught  by  the  Divine  Instructors,  the  Sons 
of  God  mentioned  in  Genesis,  and  later  by  the  Sages 
of  India,  the  Magians  of  Babylonia  and  Persia,  the 
Prophets  of  Israel,  the  Hierophants  of  Egypt  and 
Arabia,  the  Seers  and  Philosophers  of  Greece,  and 
by  the  Master  Jesus  and  the  initiated  disciples  of  the 
early  Christian  Church,  all  of  whom  acquired  this 
wisdom  and  knowledge  through  the  regular  channels, 
i.  e  f  through  the  mastery  of  the  flesh  and  conscious 
communion  and  union  with  the  Divine.  Nor  has  it 
ever  ceased  to  be  taught  by  advanced  Souls  who  gained 
their  knowledge  of  this  divine  wisdom  in  the  same 
way.  Never,  even  during  the  darkest  ages,  has  the 
world  lacked  the  testimony  of  some  Great  Soul  who 
attained  to  this  divine  knowledge  in  the  one  and  only 
way,  nor  will  the  time  ever  come  when  this  testimony 
is  lacking.  But  "as  usual,  that  which  is  and  was  from 
its  beginning  divine,  pure  and  spiritual  in  its  earliest 
unity,  became — by  reason  of  its  differentiation  through 
the  distorted  prism  of  man's  conceptions — human  and 
impure,  as  reflecting  man's  own  sinful  nature."  x  One 
application  of  the  law  "So  the  last  shall  be  first,  and 
the  first  last,"  is  that  the  one  Wisdom  Religion  shall 
prevail  upon  the  earth  during  the  last  Races  of  human- 
ity, as  it  did  during  the  first.  The  great  difference 
is  that  in  the  beginning  humanity  was  like  a  child 

1  The   Secret   Doctrine,    Blavatsky,    Vol.    1,    p.    631. 


68  The  Voice  of  Isis 

learning  the  great  truths  from  the  Gods  direct,  much 
as  a  child  learns  to  lisp  its  prayers  at  its  mother's  knee. 
Later,  when  humanity  grew  up  and  entered  the 
world's  arena,  it  had  to  put  into  practice  the  lessons 
inculcated  in  its  childhood.  And  at  the  last,  when  hu- 
manity has  reached  the  stage  of  manhood,  we  have  the 
promise  that  the  Race  shall  become  once  more  pure 
and  innocent,  not,  however,  with  the  purity  and  inno- 
cence of  ignorance,  but  of  Wisdom.  In  other  words, 
it  will  again  practice  the  precepts  of  the  Wisdom  Re- 
ligion given  by  the  Father  in  the  beginning,  so  that 
the  condition  at  the  last  shall  be  as  it  was  at  the  first, 
completing  the  old  and  becoming  the  first  step  of  a  new 
and  grander  dispensation  as  yet  undrempt  of  by  man. 

"There  was  in  every  ancient  country  having  claims 
to  civilization,  an  Esoteric  Doctrine,  a  system  which 
was  designated  WISDOM,  and  those  who  were  devoted 
to  its  prosecution  were  first  denominated  sages,  or 
wise  men."  1 

The  Wisdom  Religion  has  always  been  divided  into 
two  parts;  that  which — while  essentially  divine,  per- 
tained, nevertheless,  to  matters  comprehensible  even 
to  the  unenlightened  and  necessary  for  their  progress 
and  daily  life — was  called  the  Exoteric  or  Outer  Doc- 
trine, and  that  which  was  given  only  to  initiated  disci- 
ples, called  the  Esoteric  or  Inner  Doctrine.  The  Wisdom 
Religion  deals  with  "things  that  are,"  and  hence  is  not 
a  religion  of  ritual  and  dogma,  although  it  gives  to 
them  their  soul.  It  takes  but  little  thought  to  realize 
that  all  "things  that  are"  must  have  deep,  under- 
lying causes  which  produce  the  effects.  These 
causes,  naturally,  can  be  known  and  understood 
only  by  the  few.  In  every  science,  while  much 
can  be  given  to  the  world  at  large,  still  the 

1  Quoted  by  The  Secret  Doctrine,   Blavatsky,   Vol.   Ill,   p.   55. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  69 

deep,  mysterious  workings  of  the  science — be  that 
science  what  it  may — can  be  discovered  only  by 
one  who  has  made  it  a  life  study,  devoting  all  his  time, 
thought  and  enthusiasm  to  its  inner  and  less  apparent 
causes.  Unless  there  were  some  who  could  and  did 
thus  study,  no  true  idea  of  that  science  could  be  given 
to  the  world.  Every  experiment  must  be  proved  in  the 
laboratory  ere  it  can  be  given  to  the  world — the  sci- 
entist must  know.  If  the  many  confusing  technicali- 
ties were  laid  before  the  general,  untrained  public,  they 
would  tend  not  only  to  confuse,  but  also  to  discourage, 
and  perhaps  work  great  harm.  For  instance,  a  poi- 
sonous drug,  which  in  the  hands  of  a  trained  physician 
may  be  wisely  experimented  with  and  its  greatest  po- 
tencies and  powers  to  save  life  discovered — as  well  as 
its  dangers — if  given  to  the  general  public  might  prove 
disastrous. 

Thus  it  is  with  the  Wisdom  Religion.  It  can  reveal 
its  inner  truths  only  to  those  few  who  have  devoted 
many  lives  to  its  study  and  who  have  thereby  evolved 
to  a  point  where  it  can  be  taught  them  direct  from 
God,  for  it  would  be  unwise  and  dangerous  to  give 
many  of  its  mysteries  to  untrained  disciples,  be  they 
ever  so  earnest  and  sincere.  Hence  the  Esoteric  or 
Inner  has  always  gone  hand  in  hand  with  the  Exoteric 
Doctrine.  The  Esoteric  when  mentioned  outwardly 
at  all,  is  set  forth  in  parables  and  symbols  so  that  only 
those  whose  hearts  are  illumined  by  the  light  of  The 
Christos  can  understand  the  deeper  meanings,  yet  such 
parables  always  contain  an  obvious  moral  precept  which 
is  helpful  to  all  who  receive  it. 

Many  ask,  if  the  Wisdom  Religion  is  so  true  and  of 
such  benefit  to  humanity,  and  is  possessed  in  its  full- 
ness by  the  Masters  of  Wisdom,  why  is  it  hedged  about 
by  so  many  apparently  unsurmountable  difficulties? 


70  The  Voice  of  Isis 

and  why  have  the  Masters  permitted  so  much  misun- 
derstanding and  error  to  be  given  to  the  world  as 
truth?  and  many  similar  questions.  We  read,  "Yet 
there  must  have  been  some  very  good  reason  for  it, 
since  from  the  very  dawn  of  History  such  has  been  the 
policy  of  every  Hierophant  and  'Master.'  .  .  .  From 
the  very  day  when  the  first  mystic,  taught  by  the  first 
Instructor  of  the  'Divine  Dynasties'  of  the  early  races, 
was  taught  the  means  of  communication  between  this 
world  and  the  worlds  of  the  invisible  host,  between 
the  sphere  of  matter  and  that  of  pure  spirit,  he  con- 
cluded that  to  abandon  this  mysterious  science  to  the 
desecration,  willing  or  unwilling,  of  the  profane  rabble 
— was  to  lose  it.  An  abuse  of  it  might  lead  mankind 
to  speedy  destruction ;  it  was  like  surrounding  a  group 
of  children  with  explosive  substances,  and  furnishing 
them  with  matches.  The  first  Divine  Instructor  initi- 
ated but  a  select  few,  and  these  kept  silence  with  the 
multitudes."  1  That  is,  only  those  were  initiated  who, 
of  their  own  free-will  and  desire  had  shown  a  deter- 
mination to  penetrate  into  the  hidden  mysteries,  and 
a  capacity  to  use  the  knowledge  gained  for  the  good  of 
all,  under  the  direction  of  their  Instructors.  When, 
however,  seekers  whose  motives  are  pure  and  selfless 
are  determined  to  penetrate  into  the  Inner  Mysteries 
and  earnestly  ask  for  guidance,  the  way  to  the  desired 
knowledge  always  opens.  For  while  it  is  dangerous  to 
reveal  the  Inner  Mysteries  to  those  whose  hearts  are 
unprepared,  it  is  equally  dangerous  to  withhold  them 
from  those  whose  hearts  are  ready. 

There  must  be  absolute  fearlessness,  for  "the  path- 
way to  the  Gods"  leads  through  the  horrors  of  the 
lower  astral  world,  whose  debasing  influences  and 
obsessing  entities  will  and  must  wreck  their  will  upon 

1  The  Secret  Doctrine,   Vol.    Ill,    p.    52. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  71 

the  disciple  who  opens  his  doors  to  that  world  unless 
he  has  grown  strong  and  fearless  through  a  special 
training  which  has  brought  about  an  influx  of  suf- 
ficient divine  Power  and  Wisdom  to  enable  him  under- 
standingly  to  cope  with  such  forces  instead  of  being 
used  by  them.  The  allegory  of  Daniel  cast  into  the 
lion's  den,  also  the  three  prophets  in  the  fiery  furnace, 
are  illustrations  of  this  point.  Each  walked  unharmed 
amidst  his  fearful  surroundings  because  The  Christ- 
force — "the  Angel  of  the  Lord" — protected  him. 

No  matter  how  eagerly  disciples  desire  these  secrets 
it  was,  and  still  is,  the  duty  of  every  Teacher  of  the 
Mysteries  to  withhold  all  esoteric  instruction  from 
them  until,  by  the  character  of  their  lives,  they  have 
proved  that  they  are  ready  to  be  entrusted  with  it. 
It  is  not  enough  for  them  to  intend  to  do  their  best; 
it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  they  acquire  Wisdom 
to  cope,  like  Daniel,  with  all  conditions  and  forces 
of  life.  Such  Wisdom  can  only  be  acquired  after 
many  lives  of  experience  and  severe  testing.  Hence 
no  mortal  can  tell  when  he  or  any  other  is  ready  for 
initiation  into  the  Mysteries.  Only  those  Divine 
Instructors  who  have  watched  him  life  after  life,  and 
have  noted  how  he  has  borne  himself  in  the  various 
vicissitudes  of  mortal  experience,  can  judge  as  to  his 
attaining  Mastery  in  a  particular  incarnation.  Hence 
the  occult  axiom,  which  is  literally  true  and  has  never 
failed,  "When  the  pupil  is  ready  the  Teacher  appears." 
The  Teacher  here  referred  to  is  usually  not  a  super- 
human Being,  but  is  that  person,  teaching  or  thing 
which  will  give  the  seeker  the  knowledge  needed 
for  his  next  step.  And  only  when  no  human  being 
or  accessible  teaching  can  fulfill  that  need  does  a 
more  than  human  Teacher  appear.  The  pupil  is  not 
the  judge  of  his  readiness  for  this  step,  for  he  is  not 


72  The  Voice  of  Isis 

ready  until  he  has  gained  the  ability  to  recognize  his 
Teacher  on  the  inner  planes.  Until  that  time  it  is 
his  duty  to  take  the  steps,  one  by  one,  as  life  presents 
them,  until  a  next  step  brings  him  into  the  presence 
of  his  Teacher.  To  come  close  to  the  Masters  strive 
to  do  the  works  of  the  Masters,  for  the  more  you 
strive  to  do  those  works  the  closer  you  come.  An 
apprentice  works  apart  from  the  Master-workman 
while  learning  the  preliminaries,  but  when  he  be- 
gins to  do  master-work  he  works  under  the  direct 
supervision  of  the  Master-workman  and  becomes  his 
helper. 

Solomon,  referring  to  this  Esoteric  Doctrine  says, 
"with  all  thy  getting,  get  understanding,"  and  David 
emphasizes  this  point  when  he  says,  "The  fear  of  the 
Lord  (or  the  Law)  is  the  beginning  of  Wisdom." 
For  until  we  gain  a  wholesome  fear  or,  to  speak  more 
correctly — awe,  of  the  Great  Law  which  the  Wisdom 
Religion  teaches,  the  disciple  is  not  ready  even  to  set 
out  consciously  on  the  Path  of  Attainment.  The  first 
conscious  step  upon  the  Path  is  a  comprehension  of 
the  sacredness  and  the  desirability  of  the  spiritual 
Wisdom  which  is  spoken  of  in  the  Bible  as  the  Pearl 
of  Great  Price,  for  the  attainment  of  which  the  dis- 
ciple gladly  sells  all  that  he — the  personal  self — has. 
When  he  has  thus  gladly  sacrificed  his  all  for  it  he  will 
realize  that  it  is  not  something  to  be  talked  about  idly 
or  displayed  before  men,  but  something  to  be  sought 
for  in  the  inner  sanctuary  of  the  heart. 

The  disciple  must  be  willing  to  be  proved  worthy 
ere  he  can  hope  to  receive.  Solomon  says,  "When 
Wisdom  entereth  into  thine  heart,  and  knowledge  is 
pleasant  into  thy  soul ;  discretion  shall  preserve  thee, 
understanding  shall  keep  thee."  Every  candidate  for 
initiation  must  feel  within  himself  the  Great  Self,  the 
Mighty  Lord  and  Protector.  The  I  Am  or  Ego  Suum 


The  Voice  of  Isis  73 

shows  His  full  power  to  each  one  who  can  recognize 
the  Still  Small  Voice,  and  this  recognition  can  only 
come  through  the  cultivation  of  the  spirit  of  Love. 

We  attain  to  a  knowledge  of  this  Mighty  Lord,  our 
Father-in-heaven,  when  we  do  the  works  of  our  Father. 
First  and  foremost  of  these  works  are  the  manifesting 
in  our  lives  of  Divine  Love  and  Compassion.  He  who 
says  he  has  realized  the  Divine  within  himself,  yet  only 
as  power  for  his  own  upliftment  and  who  uses  it  only 
for  his  own  advancement,  has  never  even  approached 
that  realization.  Such  receive  the  condemnation  of 
those  who  prophesied  and  did  many  wondrous  works  in 
His  name:  "I  know  you  not  whence  ye  are;  depart 
from  me,  all  ye  workers  of  iniquity."  1  The  first  action 
of  the  Divine  in  the  heart  is  to  awaken  Love  and 
Compassion  for  the  Race.  God  is  Love,  and  the  dis- 
ciple cannot  draw  near  to  or  have  a  realization  of 
God  without  an  awakening  of  that  divine  Love  and 
Compassion  which  is  not  limited  to  individuals,  but 
which  is  poured  out  for  all  the  world — for  God  so  loves 
the  world  that  He  continually  gives  His  only  begotten 
Son — the  emanation  from  Himself,  Love — that  whoso- 
ever believeth  on  this  Son  shall  have  eternal  life. 

He  who  feels  another's  sorrow,  who  forgets  self  for 
others,  has  realized,  in  a  measure  at  least,  the  Divine. 
And  while  the  works  of  the  Father  are  what  the  world 
would  call  magic,  still  the  greatest  miracle  of  all  is 
the  miracle  of  loving.  How  few  there  be  who  really 
and  truly  love  their  fellow  man !  How  few  there  be 
who  forget  themselves,  their  own  pleasures,  their  own 
so-called  rights,  their  own  happiness  for  another,  for 
the  meanest  of  God's  "little  ones,"  for  perhaps  even  a 
dumb  brute.  He  who  feels  another's  sorrow  has 
touched  somewhere  upon  the  Divine  within.  There- 

lSt.   Luke,   XIII.   27. 


74  The  Voice  of  Isis 

fore  when  you  would  attain  to  this  realization,  empty 
out  the  personal  and  let  the  Divine  Father  overshadow 
you  and  shelter  and  feed  you  with  the  mystic  Bread 
of  which  when  ye  eat  thereof  ye  shall  hunger  no  more, 
neither  thirst. 

The  Wisdom  Religion  teaches  the  means  of  accom- 
plishing this  union  of  the  human  with  the  Divine ;  for 
there  is  no  possibility  of  attaining  Mastery  or  of  en- 
tering the  kingdom  of  heaven  unless  the  human  is  in- 
dissolubly  linked  to  the  God  within.  It  is  the  firm  be- 
lief in  the  possibilities  of  such  union  that  helps  one  to 
attain  it.  This  is  the  only  possible  Path  of  Attainment. 
The  more  this  truth  grows  upon  the  candidate  the 
greater  the  power  of  the  Immortal  God  to  manifest 
through  him.  And  as  the  manifestation  of  the  God 
within  grows  and  waxes  strong  the  Man  of  Sin,  or 
the  mere  animal  man,  dies  or  is  literally  consumed  in 
the  divine  ardor.  As  St.  Paul  says :  "The  first  man  is 
of  the  earth,  earthy :  the  second  man  is  the  Lord  from 
heaven  ....  and  as  we  have  borne  the  image  of  the 
earthy,  we  shall  also  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly."  l 
The  Wisdom  Religion  not  only  teaches  this,  but  the 
Esoteric  Doctrine  signifies  much  more,  for  it  teaches 
the  possibility  of  the  recognition  by  initiated  mortals, 
not  only  of  the  actual  presence  on  earth  of  a  God  or 
Gods,  but  the  actual  blending  of  the  Higher  Self,  the 
personal  God,  with  man,  His  representative  on  earth. 
But  to  accomplish  this,  the  candidate  must  feed  his 
spiritual  body  on  this  divine  realization  just  as  the 
physical  body  is  fed  with  mortal  food ;  for  the  bread 
of  God  is  that  which  cometh  down  from  heaven  and 
giveth  life  unto  the  world. 

*/    Corinthians,    XV.    47-50. 


CHAPTER  V. 

CONCERNING   THE   DOCTRINE   OF    HELL   FIRE. 

"And  the  devil  that  deceived  them  was  cast  into 
the  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone,  where  the  beast 
and  the  false  prophet  are,  and  shall  be  tormented 
day  and  night  forever  and  ever." — Revelation, 
XX.  10. 

The  Christian  Bible,  like  all  great  scriptures,  is  an 
inspired  setting  forth  of  the  one  Divine  Wisdom  in 
symbolic  language.  It  deals  with  principles,  not  things. 
It  describes  qualities,  forces  and  spiritual  events,  not 
historical  men,  places  or  physical  events.  It  is  "A  rep- 
ertory of  invented  personages  in  its  older  Jewish  por- 
tions, and  of  dark  sayings  and  parables  in  its  later 
additions,  and  thus  quite  misleading  to  anyone  igno- 
rant of  its  Esotericism."1  It  is  less  understood  than 
more  ancient  scriptures,  because  all  so-called  study  of 
it  has  proceeded  upon  the  hypothesis  that  it  is  intended 
to  present  historical  facts.  In  reality,  no  great  scrip- 
ture is  historically  true,  nor  is  it  supposed  to  be  by 
those  who,  having  been  initiated  into  its  mysteries,2  un- 
derstand something  of  their  inner  meaning.  It  is  time 
this  fact  is  more  widely  known. 

All  scriptures  and  myths  are  collections  of  allegories 
and  parables,  grouped  and  arranged  to  illustrate  sym- 
bolically some  feature  of  the  growth  of  the  Soul. 
Hence,  while  not  historically  true,  as  modern  re- 
search has  abundantly  shown,  they  are  universally  true, 
because  they  illustrate  phases  of  experience  through 
which  every  Soul  passes  during  its  evolution  toward 
conscious  union  with  the  Divine.  As  far  back  as  the 
early  Gnostic  sect  of  the  Johannites — the  forerunners 

*  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky,  Vol.  Ill,  p.   81. 
3  See  Matthew  XIII.  n. 


76  The  Voice  of  Isis 

of  the  Crusaders — who  claimed  to  be  the  only  true 
initiates  into  the  secret  mysteries  of  Jesus  and  who 
claimed  direct  apostolic  descent  from  St.  John,  it  was 
taught  that  the  stories  as  narrated  in  the  Gospels  were 
but  allegories.  Whenever  possible,  familiar  historical 
incidents,  names  and  places  are  used  to  illustrate  the 
points  more  clearly,  and  also  to  inculcate  a  moral  les- 
son for  "them  that  are  without,"  i.  e.f  not  initiated,1 
who  are  able  to  grasp  only  surface  truths.  Since 
scriptural  stories  and  events  do  not  agree  with  the 
proven  facts  of  history  (except  incidentally,  here  and 
there),  the  Bible  has  either  been  accepted  in  a  literal 
sense  and  slavishly  followed,  even  against  all  common 
sense  and  justice,  or  it  has  been  mutilated  and  only 
such  parts  as  can,  seemingly,  be  "proved"  accepted, 
and  the  rest  rejected  or  discredited.  Bloody  wars  have 
been  waged  in  efforts  to  harmonize  its  discrepancies, 
and  sanction  found  in  it  for  everything  from  debauch- 
ery to  the  buying  and  selling  of  brothers  and  sisters  in 
slavery. 

In  studying  the  seemingly  preposterous  myths  and 
legends  of  gods  and  goddesses  found  in  more  ancient 
scriptures,  we  have  no  difficulty  in  understanding  that 
they  are  not  supposed  to  have  an  accurate  histor- 
ical basis,  even  though  referring  to  historical  or  as- 
tronomical events.  We  do  not  attempt  to  pin  them 
down  to  actual  facts,  but  seek  for  the  hidden  meaning 
pertaining  to  the  spiritual  development  of  mankind 
which  we  know  they  must  contain.  The  Bible,  instead 
of  dealing  with  gods  and  goddesses,  deals  in  exactly 
the  same  way  with  personages  and  places,  some  of 
which  are  taken  from  history,  not  because  their  use 
in  this  way  pretends  to  be  history,  but  because  the  his- 

1  "And  he  said  unto  them,  unto  you  it  is  given  to  know  the 
mystery  of  the  kingdom  of  God:  but  unto  them  that  are  without,  all 
these  things  are  done  in  parables." — Mark  IV.  n. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  77 

torical  facts  readily  lend  themselves  to  the  illustration 
of  the  lesson  intended.  Other  names  and  places  used 
are  just  as  fictitious  as  those  used  in  the  ancient  myths ; 
but  they  all  have  their  inner,  occult  significance — the 
numerical  value  of  the  very  words  themselves  have  a 
definite  meaning — and  are  purposely  selected  to  indi- 
cate steps  in  the  Path  of  At-one-ment  up  which  each 
Soul  must  journey. 

The  Old  Testament,  written  for  the  purpose  of  teach- 
ing the  Divine  Truths  to  the  Hebrews  draws  its  sym- 
bology  largely  from  Hebrew  or  Chaldean  history,  and 
expresses  its  symbols  in  terms  of  Hebrew  thought. 
But  like  the  scriptures  given  to  other  nations,  while 
the  symbols  used  are  expressed  in  a  particular  race- 
thought,  nevertheless  the  true  meaning  or  the  hid- 
den lesson  applies  to  all  mankind.  The  New  Testament 
is  the  symbolic  history  of  The  Christ-force  or  prin- 
ciple1 in  each  heart — the  journey  of  the  awakened  Soul 
from  the  time  of  the  birth  of  The  Christ  in  the  heart 
to  the  crucifixion  on  the  cross2  of  material  desires,  the 
final  victory  of  the  spiritual  over  the  physical  and  the 
resurrection  and  immortality  of  the  flesh — all  of  which 
must  be  experienced  in  some  incarnation  by  every  re- 
deemed Soul. 

It  makes  very  little  difference,  as  far  as  the  truth 
of  the  teachings  is  concerned,  whether  or  not  a  man 
by  the  name  of  Jesus  ever  lived.  It  is  the  teaching 
that  counts.  The  multitude  see  the  beautiful  story, 
which  is  filled  with  living  truth,  and  those  who  are 
ready  sense  the  inner  meaning,  thus  each  one  gets 
exactly  what  he  is  ready  to  receive.  As  a  matter  of 
history,  there  was  a  Great  Master  by  the  name  of 
Jesus — the  greatest  Avatar  yet  come  to  earth — who  did 

1  See  St.  Matthew  XXII.  41-4. 

2  See  lesson  on  "The  Meaning  of  the  Cross." 


78  The  Voice  of  Isis 

pass  through  the  experiences  symbolized  in  the  Bible 
during  the  pilgrimage  of  His  Soul  toward  Mastery. 
The  stories  are  woven  about  this  great  Initiate  and 
historic  events  and  places  are  adapted  to  carry  out  the 
symbology.  And  His  teachings  remain  today  the  most 
sublime  ever  given  to  man.  The  Christian  Bible  is  the 
deepest  treatise  on  esoteric  or  Divine  Wisdom  ever 
given  to  man ;  for  it  contains  all  the  accumulated  wis- 
dom of  past  ages  together  with  a  prophecy  of  times  to 
come.  A  passage  characteristic  of  the  esoteric  mean- 
ing of  the  Bible  is  found  in  Revelation  XI,  3-8 :  "And 
I  will  give  power  unto  my  two  witnesses.  .  .  .  And 
when  they  have  finished  their  testimony,  the  beast  that 
ascended  out  of  the  bottomless  pit  shall  make  war 
against  them,  and  shall  overcome  them  and  kill  them. 
And  their  dead  bodies  shall  lie  in  the  streets  of  the 
great  city,  which  spiritually  is  called  Sodom  and  Egypt, 
where  also  our  Lord  was  crucified."  x  This  text  alone 
should  convince  the  most  skeptical  that  only  a  symbolic 
meaning  is  intended.  It  scarcely  needs  to  be  pointed 
out  that  "our  Lord"  was  crucified  neither  in  Sodom 
nor  yet  in  Egypt,  but  that  both  names  were  accepted 
symbols  for  that  state  of  darkness  in  which  the  un- 
redeemed Soul  wanders,  and  in  which  The  Christ 
(Higher  Self)  is  daily  crucified.  Our  Lord,  or  the 
Great  Law  of  Divine  Love  was  and  is  today  crucified 
both  in  Sodom  and  Egypt,  or  in  the  states  of  impurity 
and  darkness  symbolized  by  those  names. 

There  is  no  doctrine  that  has  caused  so  much  con- 
troversy as  the  doctrine  of  hell-fire.  As  the  Race  out- 
grows the  repugnant  idea  of  an  everlasting  physical 
punishment,  there  is  a  tendency  to  sweep  this  whole 
teaching  into  limbo  as  being  a  bogie  used  to  scare  man- 
kind in  its  childhood,  but  not  to  be  dignified  by  seri- 

1  See  explanation  in  the  lesson  on  "The  False  Prophet,"  p.   2. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  79 

ous  consideration  in  its  mature  years — a  something 
that  pertained  to  the  age  of  superstition  and  the  child- 
hood of  the  Race.  But  back  of  the  ignorant  and  repel- 
lant  misconception  of  this  doctrine  there  is  a  pertinent 
and  deeply  occult  significance;  for  such  a  doctrine 
would  not  be  given  the  prominent  place  it  occupies  un- 
less it  contained  the  germ  of  a  vital  truth  necessary  for 
the  growth  of  the  Soul.  When  hell  is  mentioned  in 
the  Bible  it  means  one  of  three  things,  viz. :  occasionally 
the  suffering  of  earthly  experience,  but  usually  the  un- 
seen state,  Sheol,  the  lower  sub-planes  of  the  astral,  a 
state  of  consciousness  or  Hades.  More  correctly  it  re- 
fers to  the  Eighth  Sphere,  the  place  of  transmutation 
where  evil  is  transmuted  into  good.  When  hell-fire  is 
mentioned  it  refers  to  the  purifying  fires  of  Karma. 
Hence,  to  say  that  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not-  prevail 
against  you  means,  firstly,  that  if  your  intuition  is  de- 
veloped so  that  you  can  be  guided  by  The  Christ-con- 
sciousness neither  the  state  of  consciousness  designated 
as  hell  nor  the  sufferings  of  earthly  conditions  nor  the 
denizens  of  the  lower  astral  can  deceive  or  prevail 
against  you;  secondly,  that  by  the  creative  power  of 
The  Christ  within  you  create  within  yourself  a  Divine 
World  so  that  there  is  nothing  of  you  to  be  cast  into 
the  crucible  of  transmutation  and  be  disintegrated,  but 
that  all  shall  be  immortalized  and  rise  with  the  Risen 
Lord,  that  where  He  is  there  ye  may  be  also;  thirdly, 
that  your  Intuition  being  centered  in  The  Christ  "no 
evil  thing  can  come  nigh  thy  dwelling,"  no  falsehood 
can  lead  you  astray,  no  astral  entity  can  deceive  you 
and  no  false  teaching  appeal  to  you.  All  of  which 
things  are  gates  of  hell  which  cannot  prevail  against 
the  Risen  Christ-consciousness. 

The  devil,  as  explained  in  the  lesson  on  The  False 
Prophet,  is  the  accumulated  evil  thought-force  of  the 


80       •  The  Voice  of  Isis 

world  seeking  expression  in  humanity  and  deceiving 
all  men.  The  inner  meaning  of  the  following  passage : 
"Ye  are  of  your  father  the  devil,  and  the  lusts  of  your 
father  ye  will  do.  .  .  .  When  he  speaketh  a  lie,  he 
speaketh  of  his  own :  for  he  is  a  liar,  and  the  father  of 
it,"  1  is  that  men  are  children  of  the  devil  in  that  they 
are  born  under  the  great  delusion,  the  one  great,  para- 
mount lie,  that  the  physical  body,  together  with 
material  existence,  is  the  great  reality.  Instead  realize 
that  the  personality2  is  but  a  garment  or  mask  assumed 
by  the  Real  Self,  and  that  material  existence  is  but 
the  stage  upon  which  but  a  single  scene  in  the  drama 
of  the  Soul's  life  is  enacted.  Nothing  is  true  that  is 
not  from  eternity  to  eternity,  hence  the  evil  (the  devil) 
which  blinds  the  eyes  of  the  personality  and  throws  its 
illusive  glamour  over  all  mankind  is  the  creator  or 
father  of  all  lies.  This  great  lie,  together  with  every- 
thing that  tends  to  strengthen  it  and  make  it  seem  de- 
sirable, is  like  a  mill-stone  around  the  neck  of  every- 
one born  into  earth  life.  In  occult  parlance  it  is  the 
world's  Karma  which  all  must  bear.  In  this  sense  hu- 
manity is  a  child  of  the  devil  or,  as  Job  expresses  it, 
"man  is  born  unto  trouble,  as  the  sparks  fly  upward." 
But  in  this  very  lament  we  see  the  remedy;  for  it  is 
only  by  the  hammering  on  the  anvil  of  life,  and  the 
burning  of  the  karmic  fires,  that  the  Divine  Sparks 
are  released  to  fly  upward  to  unity  in  the  Godhead. 
The  "lake  which  burneth  with  fire  and  brimstone," 
into  which  the  False  Prophet  and  the  Beast  are  cast, 
is  one  of  the  seven  manifestations  of  the  Great  Law 
(acting  in  its  aspect  of  Karma)3  which  permits  noth- 
ing to  endure  that  is  false,  that  cannot  withstand  the  vi- 
brations of  Divine  Truth.  Its  fires  are  the  fires  of  pu- 

*St.  John  VIII,  44. 

2  Per,    through;    sonar e,    to    sound;     personality,    a    mask    to    speak 

through. 
8  See  Chapter  VIII. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  81 

rification  and  transmutation  that  consume  all  that  is 
impure  or  false ;  all  that  maketh  a  lie.  And  that  which 
maketh  a  lie  is  not  limited  to  the  utterance  of  a  false- 
hood, but  includes  everything  that  tends  to  create  a 
false  impression ;  everything  that  represents  itself  to 
be  that  which  it  is  not.  Fire  is  the  highest  earthly  ele- 
ment, and  its  action  transforms  or  raises  all  substances 
to  a  higher  condition.  While  the  substances  burned 
cease  to  exist  on  the  physical-plane  they  still  exist  in  a 
higher  state,  leaving  behind  only  that  which  belongs 
to  earth  in  the  form  of  ashes. 

Brimstone  or  sulphur  is  used  in  daily  life  for  purify- 
ing, bleaching  and  subliming.  Salt  purifies  and  pre- 
serves, but  brimstone  sublimes  and  raises  to  a  higher 
condition.  It  represents  the  earth-plane  also^that  stage 
in  which  the  novice  is  cast  into  the  flame  to  be  sub- 
limed ;  where  he  has  the  dross  of  earth  consumed  that 
his  spiritual  pneuma  may  be  released  and  rise  to  a 
higher  manifestation.  The  fires  are  the  blazing  fires 
of  Karma  that  the  personality  itself  has  lit,  and  in 
which  it  must  stand  until  all  is  transmuted  into  gold. 
Brimstone  is  the  means  by  which  the  other  elements 
cast  into  the  burning  are  prepared  for  their  next  step 
in  evolution.  But  in  accomplishing  this  the  brimstone 
must  sacrifice  its  bodily  form  and  be  sublimed.  This 
action  is  the  foundation  for,  and  the  real  meaning 
of  the  symbol  of  fire  and  brimstone  used  in  our  text. 
And  like  all  such  symbols  it  survives  because  it  con- 
tains a  germ  of  truth.  The  lake,  of  course,  is  not  a 
physical  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone  any  more  than  the 
so-called  hell  is  a  physical  place;  but  it  is  an  actual 
condition  and  a  real  burning  through  which  each  Soul 
must  pass.  The  earth  itself  is  passing  through  this 
same  burning  and  purification  that  its  substance  may 
be  prepared  for  the  future  and  higher  conditions  which 


82  The  Voice  of  Isis 

will  prevail  during  the  coming  new  Race.  The  gases 
generated  by  the  subliming  action  of  the  sulphur  are 
gathering  in  certain  areas  preparatory  to  the  great  ex- 
plosions of  the  future,  and  the  humanity  that  is  to  sur- 
vive those  great  cataclysms  must  have  passed  through 
the  burning  and  purifying  flames  of  Karmic  Law  that 
they  may  be  enabled  to  breathe  the  rarified  atmosphere 
resulting  from  the  changed  physical  conditions  which 
will  then  exist. 

Hell  is  separation  from  God.  The  Psalmist  cries, 
"For  thou  wilt  not  leave  my  soul  in  hell;  neither  wilt 
thou  suffer  thine  Holy  One  to  see  corruption."  1  The 
physical  body  is  in  hell  and  does  see  corruption ;  for 
hell  is  made  up  of  the  fermenting,  corroding  and  cor- 
rupting influences  which  act  upon  the  physical  and 
mental  bodies  from  birth  until  final  dissolution.  In 
the  case  of  the  mental  body  these  influences  may  last 
through  many  incarnations,  until  all  that  is  false  in 
habits,  ideas,  beliefs  and  understandings  is  completely 
consumed  and  the  mind  illumined  by  spiritual  under- 
standing. 

All  must  willingly  stand  in  this  burning,  but  they 
must  also  perform  the  much  harder  task  of  standing 
aside  and  permitting  others,  even  their  own  loved  ones 
to  be  sublimed;  to  stand  in  the  burning  and  suffer 
through  the  conditions  which  Karma  presents  to 
them.  How  many  would  gladly  attempt  to  bear  the 
hardships  and  sufferings  of  their  loved  ones  rather  than 
stand  aside  and  permit  them  to  fulfill  their  karmic  des- 
tiny in  exact  justice!  But  their  loved  ones  cannot  be 
purified  and  pass  on  to  higher  things  if  their  burdens 
are  borne  for  them  and  they  are  not  allowed  to  meet 
their  tests  and  stand  in  the  fiery  furnace  which  they 
in  ag-es  past  have  lighted,  for  only  when  they  can 

1  Psalms,  XVI.    10. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  83 

enter  this  fiery  furnace  and  find  the  Lord  Christ  walk- 
ing with  them — by  this  recognition  the  fires  lose  their 
power  to  harm — are  they  ready  to  pass  on.  If  sen- 
timental reasons  are  permitted  to  interfere  with 
the  loved  ones'  performance  of  duty,  the  time  of  the 
purification  is  pushed  back  and  more  fuel  is  accumu- 
lated for  the  burning.  Stand  aside  then,  and  while 
giving  all  love,  sympathy  and  encouragement,  allow 
all  to  meet  their  tests  and  burnings  that  they  may  be 
purified  and  advance  to  higher  things.  It  is  into  this 
hell  that  The  Christ-principle  descends  after  the  cruci- 
fixion, and  it  is  into  this  hell  that  each  Soul  must 
descend  that  all  that  belongs  to  the  lower  self  (person- 
ality) may  be  consumed,  leaving  only  the  purified 
Spirit  to  rise  to  the  heights  beyond. 

This  is  the  meaning  of  the  doctrine  of  hell-fire ;  and 
it  manifests  on  the  four  lower  planes.  The  Soul,  how- 
ever, as  the  Psalmist  says,  will  not  be  left  in  hell,  but 
will  garner  from  it  the  experience  necessary  to  clothe 
itself  in  immortality.  Hell  endures  forever  and  ever, 
for  there  is  no  end  to  eternity  or  evolution  and  there 
will  always  be  something  to  burn  and  be  purified  and 
transmuted.  This  does  not  mean  that  any  Soul  will 
stand  in  hell  forever,  but  that  each  Soul  must  pass 
through  it.  No  one  remains  in  it  one  moment  longer 
than  is  required  to  transmute  the  base  metal  of  per- 
sonality into  the  pure  gold  of  spiritual  attainment.  For 
Karma  is  not  a  punishment  or  even  an  inevitable  law 
of  suffering  which  we  must  endure  to  the  end;  but 
rather  in  the  course  of  evolution  our  Higher  Self 
finds  that  we  lack  certain  Soul-qualities,  hence  chooses 
to  incarnate  in  certain  families  and  under  certain  con- 
ditions which  will  bring  out  the  Soul-quality  which  is 
lacking.  Everything  must  pass  through  the  burning 
that  it  may  be  transmuted  into  love  to  lay  at  the 


84  The  Voice  of  Isis 

Master's  feet,  while  selfishness  and  all  earthly  dross 
is  left  behind  like  ashes. 

Every  sincere  seeker  should  gladly  stand  in  the 
flames  of  the  karmic  hell,  for  only  the  faults,  only 
that  which  is  impure  or  false  can  burn.  All  the  false 
teachings,  false  doctrines,  false  love,  false  living;  all 
misunderstandings  and  misconceptions,  being  but 
transitory,  will  be  consumed,  but  nothing  that  is  real, 
that  is  immortal  can  burn;  the  true  will  emerge  as 
pure  gold.  In  that  day  we  will  know  as  we  are 
known;  for  the  coverings  of  falsehood  and  pretense 
will  have  disappeared  in  the  burning. 

Therefore,  let  this  realization  of  the  fire  that  burn- 
eth  and  the  worm  that  dieth  not,  remain  with  you  as 
the  greatest  comfort  to  your  Soul.  Realize  that  all  you 
have  to  do  is  to  wait  and  trust  and  pray  that  everything 
that  holds  you  back  from  your  true  spiritual  advance 
may  be  quickly  consumed  that  the  burning  may  come 
to  an  end.  That  which  burns  is  mortal  and  transitory 
and  has  no  part  nor  lot  in  your  real  life.  Realize  that 
the  burning  cannot  last  one  moment  longer  than  you 
give  fuel  to  the  flames.  As  soon  as  the  dross  is  burned 
away  the  dawning  of  the  resurrection  morn  will  come. 
As  soon  as  you  cease  to  deceive,  cease  to  lie,  cease  to 
be  false,  you  cease  to  furnish  fuel  to  the  flames,  hence 
the  burning  will  last  only  until  that  which  has  been 
accumulated  is  consumed. 

Stand  still,  then,  in  the  burning  that  you  may  be 
purified.  Weave  for  yourselves  immortal  garments 
of  Purity  and  Truth.  Lay  up  for  yourselves  treasures 
in  immortal  habitations,  "where  neither  moth  nor  rust 
doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break  through 
nor  steal."  And  when  the  fires  of  hell  have  become  the 
crown  of  glory  that  shall  illumine  the  saints,  then  shall 
they  walk  the  streets  of  the  New  Jerusalem  (the  puri- 


The  Voice  of  Isis 


85 


fied  earth)  in  white  raiment.  "And  there  shall  be  no 
nig-ht  there ;  and  they  need  no  candle,  neither  light  of 
the  sun ;  for  the  Lord  God  giveth  them  light ;  and  they 
shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever."  x  For  these  are  they 
that  have  come  out  of  great  tribulation. 

1  Revelation,    XXII.    5. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    ELEVENTH    COMMANDMENT. 

"But  we  beseech  you,  brethren,  .  .  .  that 
ye  study  to  be  quiet,  and  to  do  your  own  busi- 
ness." i  Thessalonians,  IV-11. 

"Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about  my  Father's 
business?"  St.  Luke,  11-49. 

"Beware  of  fear  that  spreadeth,  like  the  black 
and  soundless  wings  of  midnight  bat,  between 
the  moonlight  of  thy  Soul  and  thy  great  goal  that 
loometh  in  the  distance  far  away."  The  Voice 
of  the  Silence,  Blavatsky,  Fragment  III. 

In  the  life  of  every  earnest  seeker  after  Truth,  after 
the  first  enthusiasm  of  the  awakening  to  his  spiritual 
possibilities  and  the  wonder  of  his  newly  found  joy, 
there  comes  a  period  of  depression  in  which  every- 
thing seems  to  fail  him,  and  a  shadow  of  discourage- 
ment, almost  lack  of  faith,  seems  to  spread  over  him. 
In  his  mind  questionings  arise  at  first  fleeting,  then 
growing  more  persistent.  "After  all,  is  this  great 
change  that  has  come  into  my  life  worth  the  effort  I 
have  made  to  give  up  old  ideals  and  conditions  and 
remodel  my  life?  Are  these  new  ideas  practical  or  are 
they  mere  ephemeral  sophistries  which  fail  me  in  my 
hour  of  need?  And  the  teachers  to  whom  I  have  lis- 
tened, are  they  not  human  beings,  full  of  frailties  like 
myself,  with  no  higher  wisdom  for  my  guidance ;  with 
nothing  to  give  me  that  I  have  not  already  of  myself?" 
A  great  fear  possesses  him,  lest  conditions  beat  him 
back  and  compel  him  to  resume  the  old  treadmill  of 
his  former  life,  without  hope  and  without  being  able 
to  contact  the  spiritual  power  that  sustained  him  at 
first.  All  his  beautiful  soul  experiences,  looked  at 


The  Voice  of  Isis  87 

from  this  Slough  of  Despond,  now  seem  to  have  been 
but  fantastic  imaginings,  and  the  cry  goes  forth :  What 
is  the  use  of  all  this  struggling?  At  this  point,  unless 
some  understanding  of  the  Law  is  grasped,  the  seeker 
is  apt  to  slip  back,  apt  to  repudiate  all  the  good  resolu- 
tions and  vows  he  has  made  to  his  Higher  Self  and, 
like  the  man  from  out  whom  the  unclean  spirit  was 
cast,  he  then  takes  unto  himself  seven  other  unclean 
spirits  of  worry,  doubt,  fear  and  discouragement,  and 
his  last  state  is  worse  than  the  first.  If,  however,  it  is 
pointed  out  to  him  at  this  time  that  this  depression  is 
but  a  natural  phenomenon,  through  some  phase  of 
which  most  seekers  pass  and  which  is  just  as  natural 
as  a  night  of  darkness  after  a  day  of  sunshine,  he  will 
be  able  to  take  advantage  of  this  night  period  of  the 
Soul  to  strengthen  his  courage  and  faith. 

If  he  turns  to  the  Bible  for  comfort  he  will  find  it 
in  the  twenty-third  Psalm.  "Yea,  though  I  walk 
through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear 
no  evil:  for  thou  art  with  me;  thy  rod  and  thy  staff 
they  comfort  me."  The  period  of  depression  is  indeed 
"the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,"  i.  e.,  the  shadow 
of  the  death  of  his  high  ideals ;  a  valley  in  that  it  is 
a  depression  between  two  heights.  And  just  as  surely 
as  he  has  descended  from  one  height  into  this  valley, 
so  must  he,  if  he  persevere,  climb  the  height  beyond. 
But  if  he  insists  on  walking  up  and  down  the  valley, 
for  lack  of  courage  to  essay  the  height  ahead,  the 
shadow  will  descend  and  enwrap  him.  "Beware,  Dis- 
ciple, of  that  lethal  shade.  No  light  that  shines  from 
Spirit  can  dispel  the  darkness  of  the  nether  Soul,  un- 
less all  selfish  thought  has  fled  therefrom.  .  .  .  It  is 
the  shadow  of  thyself  outside  the  PATH,  cast  on 
the  darkness  of  thy  sins."1  The  rod  and  staff  are 

1  The   Voice  of  the  Silence,   Blavatsky,   Fragment   III. 


88  The  Voice  of  Isis 

given  to  every  disciple,  not  only  to  lean  upon,  but  also 
as  an  alpen-stock  with  which  to  climb  the  Mountains 
of  Attainment. 

There  is  an  old  injunction  often  used  in  a  spirit  of 
impatience  and  anger  or  flippantly  alluded  to  as  the 
llth  commandment,  yet  which  contains  a  deep  occult 
significance,  i.  e.}  "Mind  your  own  business."  The 
ten  commandments  given  to  Moses  seem  to  cover  all 
phases  of  mortal  life  so  that  he  who  keeps  that  deca- 
log  does  his  whole  duty  to  God  and  man,  yet  while  the 
10  and  the  decimal  system  is  accepted  as  perfection  in 
worldly  affairs;  the  duodecimal  (12)  is  a  system  often 
used  in  the  computation  of  occult  periods.  Hence,  the 
seeker  who  is  striving  to  live  above  mere  worldly 
affairs,  who  is  striving  to  shape  his  life  in  accord 
with  the  deeper  mysteries  of  existence,  has  need 
of  two  more  commandments  to  make  up  his  duo- 
decalog.  Whereas,  the  ten  commandments  were 
delivered  on  Mt.  Sinai,  amidst  thunderings  and 
lightnings,  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  command- 
ments are  given  by  the  Still  Small  Voice  that 
speaks  in  the  Silence.  The  eleventh  commandment 
may  sound  irreverent,  but  in  its  occult  significance  it  is 
far  from  being  so,  for  if  obeyed  it  covers  the  period  of 
depression  referred  to  above.  The  significance  of  the 
twelfth  commandment  can  only  be  grasped  when  the 
eleventh  has  become  a  part  of  your  life. 

Each  one  of  you  who  chooses,  after  due  deliberation 
and  meditation,  to  set  for  yourself  a  divine  standard 
of  life,  has  entered  upon  a  new  business,  one  which 
vitally  concerns  yourself.  And  at  the  very  outset  of 
this  new  business  you  must  meet  yourself  face  to  face, 
take  account  of  stock  and  find  out  what  your  real 
business  is.  To  mind  your  own  business  does  not 
mean  merely  negatively  to  refrain  from  interfering 


The  Voice  of  Isis  89 

with  the  business  of  others,  although  that  is  included. 
The  deeper  meaning  is  to  find  out  what  your  own 
business  is,  then  actively  to  be  about  it.  This  applies 
particularly  to  you  who  have  determined  to  live  the 
higher  life,  you  who  have  passed  through  the  ecstasy 
of  the  awakening  and  are  now  passing  through  the 
natural  reaction,  the  Slough  of  Despond,  "the  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death."  The  reason  for  the  depres- 
sion is  that  the  moment  you  say  to  your  Higher  Self 
that  you  will  henceforth  live  in  accord  with  the  will  of 
that  Self  working  through  you,  you  find  yourself 
face  to  face  with  your  old  personality.  This  personal- 
ity is  composite,  the  aggregate  of  the  factors  and 
forces  of  the  age  in  which  you  live.  That  is,  it  is 
made  up  of  elements  from  all  the  lower  kingdoms — 
mineral,  vegetable,  animal — as  well  as  the  mental  traits 
and  tendencies  that  are  the  Karma,  not  only  of  the 
Soul,  but  also  of  the  age,  the  race,  the  nation,  the 
community  and  the  family  in  which  you  live,  all  of 
which  are  literally  built  into  your  physical,  astral,  de- 
sire and  mental  bodies,  a  microcosm  in  very  truth.  Be- 
cause this  personality  and  its  traits  are  not  altogether 
your  own,  but  are  taken  from  the  various  kingdoms 
and  other  sources,  the  instant  you  determine  to  break 
away  from  the  bonds  of  the  flesh  and  express  your 
Real  Self,  you  take  all  these  varied  factors  out  of 
their  customary  vibration  and  impose  upon  them  the 
will  of  the  higher  Being,  your  True  Self.  The  new 
key-note  is  resisted  by  all  the  elements  in  the  per- 
sonality as  well  as  in  the  environment,  and  the  com- 
bined opposition  of  all  is  focused  upon  you.  There 
is  aroused  within  you  every  sleeping  tendency ;  tenden- 
cies which  heretofore  you  did  not  recognize  nor  even 
suspect.  Many  of  these  are  but  the  reflex  effects  of  the 
thought-currents  of  the  community.  Others  are  ten- 


90  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

dencies  stimulated  by  the  influences  of  the  zodiacal 
sign  in  which  you  were  born  acting  in  a  negative  way, 
also  the  negative  aspect  of  your  planetary  influences, 
all  acting  upon  the  atoms  of  your  personality  through 
your  subconscious  mind  uncontrolled  by  the  human 
consciousness,  to  say  nothing  of  inspiration  from  the 
Super-conscious  Mind.  You  find  yourself  in  the  con- 
dition St.  Paul  speaks  of:  "I  find  then  a  law,  that, 
when  I  would  do  good,  evil  is  present  with  me."  x  And 
the  more  determined  you  are  to  do  the  will  of  the 
Divine  Self  the  more  unsuspected  tendencies  you  find 
within  you  to  transmute,  tendencies  which  were  qui- 
escent or  sleeping  as  long  as  you  advanced  passively 
with  the  current  of  the  community,  but  which  are  now 
awakened  and  fighting  for  life. 

Do  not  confuse  the  sub-conscious  with  the  Super- 
conscious  Mind  as  is  so  commonly  done.  The  sub- 
conscious is  the  animal  mind,  that  which  is  below  the 
threshold  of  human  waking  consciousness,  as  sub 
means  under  or  below.  It  is  the  sum  total  of  the  con- 
sciousness of  all  the  cells,  organs,  ganglia  and  centers 
of  consciousness  in  the  animal  body  synthecised  by  the 
animal  Soul.  It  controls  all  the  vegetative  functions 
such  as  respiration,  circulation,  digestion,  reflex  action, 
etc.  It  is  also  this  mind  that  automatically  reproduces 
that  which  is  impressed  upon  it  by  human  conscious- 
ness such  as  an  harmonious  or  inharmonious  attitude 
toward  life,  ideas  of  health  or  disease,  weakness  or 
power,  etc.  Hence  it  can  be  called  upon  to  adjust 
only  such  conditions  as  come  within  its  domain,  for 
it  is  but  the  servant  of  man's  human  consciousness, 
just  as  man's  human  consciousness  should  be  the 
servant  of  the  higher  or  Super-consciousness. 

The  Super-conscious  mind  is  the  intelligence  of  the 


1  Romans,    VII.    21. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  91 

Real  Self  overshadowing  its  human  personality.  It  is 
man's  touch  with  the  Divine.  To  come  into  touch 
with  the  Higher  Consciousness  the  activities  of  the 
human  consciousness  must  be  stilled,  for  when  the 
mind  is  controlled  it  becomes  like  a  mirror  to  reflect 
and  record  that  which  comes  to  it  from  the  Higher 
Self. 

It  is  the  awakening  into  activity  of  these  unrecog- 
nized forces  that  makes  the  darkness  of  the  night 
period  so  depressing  and  awful.  Each  Soul  must  face 
this  darkness  alone.  Your  attention  is  called  to  this 
because  "scarce  one  passes  through  without  bitter 
complaint  ....  your  Teacher  or  your  prede- 
cessor may  hold  your  hand  in  his,  and  give  you  the 
utmost  sympathy  the  human  heart  is  capable  of.  But 
when  the  silence  and  the  darkness  come,  you  lose  all 
knowledge  of  him ;  you  are  alone  and  he  cannot  help 
you,  not  because  his  power  is  gone,  but  because  you 
have  invoked  your  great  enemy.  By  your  great  enemy 
I  mean  yourself.  If  you  have  the  power  to  face  your 
own  Soul  in  the  darkness  and  silence,  you  will  have 
conquered  the  physical  or  animal  self  which  dwells  in 
sensation  only."  x  When  the  light  of  The  Christ  has 
illumined  your  heart  and  has  awakened  a  recognition 
of  your  divine  possibilities  it  must  also  awaken  all 
the  latent  propensities  in  your  composite  personality, 
for  the  same  sun  which  causes  the  good  seed  to  sprout 
in  the  garden  of  your  heart  will  also  stimulate  in  even 
greater  profusion  the  growth  of  the  weeds  which,  un- 
less ruthlessly  uprooted,  will  choke  out  the  life  of  the 
good  seed.  The  business  then  that  you  must  mind 
is  to  pull  up  the  weeds  or  conquer  the  foes  within 
one  by  one  as  they  appear.  Make  no  compromise. 
You  must  conquer  or  be  overcome.  For  the  very  rec- 

1  Comments  on  Light  on  the  Path, 


92  The  Voice  of  Isis 

ognition  of  your  divine  birthright  lashes  into  fury 
all  those  forces  of  the  lower  self  which  have  held  you 
in  bondage  so  long.  However,  while  this  step  brings 
out  every  latent  fault  it  also  awakens  every  latent 
power  for  good.  In  fact,  you  never  know  what  you 
really  are  until  the  light  of  The  Christ  has  illumined 
every  corner  of  your  being.  Ofttimes  the  unexpected 
beauty  and  strength  revealed  is  quite  as  overwhelming 
as  the  shortcomings.  The  battle  is  not  onesided.  In 
fact,  "He  that  is  with  you  (your  Higher  Self)  is 
greater  than  he  (the  personality  or  lower  self)  that  is 
against  you." 

When  you  find  this  state  of  depression  and  lethargy 
approaching,  instead  of  trying  to  mind  the  business  of 
another,  understand  that  it  is  never  another's  business 
you  are  to  mind  nor  outside  conditions  you  are  to  fight, 
but  the  very  forces  within  that  are  bringing  the  doubts 
upon  you.  The  first  temptation,  when  confronted  by 
this  apparent  disillusionment,  is  to  pick  flaws,  first  in 
the  teachings  which  have  so  greatly  helped  heretofore, 
then  in  the  personalities  of  others,  hoping  thereby  to 
excuse  your  own  shortcomings.  But  you  can  never 
find  truth  or  happiness  by  dissecting  it,  only  by  turn- 
ing your  attention  to  yourself  and  finding  out  why 
you  now  doubt  and  criticize  that  which  brought  you 
so  much  happiness  and  satisfaction  at  first.  Then 
set  to  work  to  conquer  with  a  full  realization  that 
every  one  of  the  awakened  forces  of  the  lower  self 
are  fighting  to  overcome  the  manifestation  of  the  Real 
Self  and  make  you  sink  back  once  more  into  the  passive 
condition  in  which  you  were  but  one  of  the  many  and 
your  life  but  the  result  of  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the 
thought-currents  common  to  your  family  and  environ- 
ment, a  creature  ruled  by  circumstances  and  a  slave  to 
outward  conditions.  You  never  have  to  fight  another's 


The  Voice  of  Isis  93 

battles,  only  your  own.  Because  your  personality  is 
made  up  of  atoms  from  the  entire  community  and  en- 
vironment in  which  you  dwell,  as  you  overcome  your 
own  faults  by  creating  their  opposites  you  add  strength 
to  the  power  that  is  striving  to  conquer  the  same  faults 
in  the  whole  community.  Moreover,  you  cannot  thus 
sink  back  without  lending  your  forces  to  swell  the  tide 
that  will  overwhelm  you  and  all  who  are  near  and  dear 
to  you.  Every  time  you  mind  another's  business  or 
waste  force  striving  with  enemies  outside  yourself  you 
are  adding  strength  to  the  things  you  would  conquer. 
The  Christ,  speaking  through  the  Master  Jesus,  has 
said :  "In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions : 
.  .  .  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  go 
and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again,  and 
receive  you  unto  myself ;  that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may 
be  also."  l  The  Christ-power  is  the  creative  power  of 
Divine  Love  that  has  brought  you  up  out  of  the  dark- 
ness and  set  your  feet  upon  a  rock;  that  has  literally 
gone  before  you  to  prepare  your  Path.  The  place  The 
Christ  is  preparing  for  you  is  not  some  post-mortem 
heaven  inhabited  by  beings  suddenly  perfected  through 
the  experience  called  death,  but  is  the  place,  conditions 
and  personality  you  are  now  in.  If  you  have  been 
called  by  The  Christ  to  face  these  particular  condi- 
tions rest  assured  that  The  Christ  has  gone  before  to 
prepare  the  place  for  you.  But  while  the  mansion  or 
dwelling  place  is  chosen  and  prepared  by  The  Christ 
within,  still  it  is  you  who  must  furnish  and  equip  and 
dwell  in  it.  This  is  the  business  which  you  must  mind. 
All  worldly  dwelling  places  must  be  shared  by  all  the 
elements  of  confusion  which  go  to  make  up  the  nerson- 
ality — a  confused  and  imperfect  reflection  of  the  Real 
Self.  Your  real  mansion  is  prepared  for  you  by  The 

»S*.  John,  XIV.   2,3. 


94  The  Voice  of  Isis 

Christ,  but  ere  you  can  dwell  in  it  The  Christ  must 
come  again  in  your  heart  and  life  and  receive  you  unto 
Himself.  The  first  step  must  be  to  drive  out  the  aliens 
who  are  now  dwelling  in  your  mansion. 

Since  the  great  aim  of  physical  existence  is  not  per- 
sonal salvation,  but  the  redemption  (spiritualization) 
of  physical  matter  and  the  ultimate  evolution  of  all 
humanity  from  its  lower  and  merely  human  state  of 
consciousness  to  oneness  with  The  Christ-conscious- 
ness, each  individual  Soul  finds  itself  confronted  with  a 
certain  amount  of  matter  from  the  various  kingdoms 
which  it  is  its  business  to  spiritualize  and  redeem ; 
a  certain  personality  with  particular  traits,  tenden- 
cies, passions  and  desires,  out  of  which,  as  raw  ma- 
terial, the  Soul  must  fashion  the  furnishings  of  its 
mansion  in  the  Father's  house.  How  is  this  to  be 
accomplished?  Here  you  are  concerned  with  the 
little  physical  inequalities  and  disquietudes  of  life, 
and  you  ask  over  and  ever  again,  "If  The  Christ  has 
called  me  to  this  higher  life,  why  do  not  conditions 
immediately  change?  why  is  there  anything  for  me 
to  do  but  open  my  heart  and  receive  the  blessings 
promised  by  the  Father?"  One  reason  is  that  if 
your  Father-in-heaven  gave  you  all  the  conditions  you 
now  deem  so  necessary — wealth  to  use  for  good,  leis- 
ure to  study,  opportunity  to  teach,  etc. — you  would 
either  find  that  when  obtained  they  did  not  satisfy 
your  Soul  hunger  or  that  you  would  sit  down  exactly 
as  you  are  today  with  all  your  faults  and  deficiencies 
nicely  covered  over  and  would  never  recognize  them, 
grow  or  advance,  and  be  about  your  Father's  business 
— the  redemption  of  the  world.  Hence  you  must  mind 
your  own  business ;  must  empty,  cleanse,  purify  and 
refurnish  your  mansion  or  "temple  of  the  living  God,"  J 

1  "Know  ye  not  that  ye  are  the  temple  of  God,  and  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  dwelleth  in  you?"  I  Cor.  III.  16. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  95 

that  "where  I  am  ye  may  be  also."  In  t)ther  words 
to  so  prepare  your  mansion  that  the  Father  shall  dwell 
with  you  and  The  Christ  shall  be  the  light  thereof. 

Why  then  waste  time  and  force  striving  for  the 
things  of  the  outer  world?  Why  fret  and  fume  over 
the  little  difficulties  you  meet  in  preparing  your  man- 
sion? why  weep  and  ask  for  this  or  that  thing?  Why 
not  just  rest  in  the  thought  that  The  Christ  has  pre- 
pared this  place  for  you  and  that  you  must  be  about 
your  business,  i.  e.,  using  the  materials  found  in  your 
personality  and  environment  to  furnish  the  dwelling 
place  for  Him  when  He  returns  to  take  you  unto  Him- 
self. For  your  Father's  business  is  the  redemption  of 
the  world  and  each  apparently  separated  individuality 
has  a  special  part  of  that  business  to  perform. 

Each  of  you  have  your  own  problems,  and  each 
problem  brings  you  up  against  your  own  lower  self 
and  forces  you  to  recognize  just  what  it  is  that  keeps 
your  mansion  in  an  unfinished  state.  Like  Hamlet,  so 
many  feel  "The  time  is  out  of  joint ; — O  cursed  spite ! 
That  ever  I  was  born  to  set  it  right  I"1  If  you  study 
Hamlet  you  will  find  that  in  his  attempt  to  set  the 
world  aright  he  only  brought  sorrow  and  suf- 
fering to  himself  and  those  he  loved,  and  sacrificed 
not  only  his  own  personality  but  also  the  personality 
of  others  in  his  misguided  attempt.  No  person  has 
ever  been  born  to  set  the  world  aright  except  so 
much  of  it  as  he  finds  expressed  in  his  own  personality. 
If  you  mind  your  own  business  and  let  the  faults  of 
others  go,  trusting  to  the  Law  to  straighten  them  out, 
and  confine  yourself  to  straightening  out  your  own 
faults,  you  will  realize  the  joy  that  comes  from  such 
conquering.  When  you  cease  to  worry  over  the  faults 
of  others,  it  will  be  like  a  physical  burden  rolling  from 

1  Hamlet,  end   of  Act   I. 


96  The  Voice  of  Isis 

your  shoulders.  If  you  have  never  done  this,  try  it 
merely  as  a  physical  experiment  for  your  own  happi- 
ness, and  the  results  will  prove  its  truth. 

The  world  can  never  be  redeemed  by  preaching, 
talking  or  even  by  ministering  to  the  sorrows  of  others, 
relieving  their  distress,  building  model  tenements  or 
libraries  or  by  changing  economic  conditions.  While 
all  these  things  are  necessary  factors  they  are  only 
really  helpful  as  they  are  the  result  of  a  true  minding 
of  the  business  of  the  Father,  recognizing  the  absolute 
oneness  of  all,  not  only  in  a  metaphysical  sense,  but 
also  in  the  personality  and  the  elements  composing  it. 
When  mankind  realizes  this,  Universal  Brotherhood 
will  be  an  accomplished  fact.  You  will  then  realize  in  a 
practical  way  that  everything  you  do  to  or  for  another 
will  react  upon  yourself.  Then  the  injunction,  Do 
unto  others  as  you  would  they  should  do  unto  you,  will 
become  the  law  of  life,  for  you  will  realize  that  as  you 
do  unto  others  you  literally  do  unto  yourself ;  that  you 
must  share  the  sorrows  and  joys,  the  privations  and 
honors  of  even  your  most  distant  brothers  and  sisters. 
This  will  not  be  fighting  another's  battles  or  minding 
another's  business,  except  as  your  own  conquering 
helps  all.  It  is  as  though  a  great  building  were  being 
erected  in  which  each  worker  by  strictly  minding  his 
own  business — which  is  his  part  of  the  great  plan, 
whether  he  be  bricklayer  or  architect — is  making  the 
work  of  all  easier  and  advancing  the  completion  of  the 
entire  structure.  Each  must  share  the  results  of  the 
success  or  failure  of  any  one  to  mind  his  own  busi- 
ness. 

These  results  can  be  attained  only  by  elevating 
to  a  higher  rate  of  vibration  first  the  thought-forces 
and  then  the  physical  conditions  of  the  self,  the  family, 
the  community.  This  must  be  accomplished  accord- 


The  Voice  of  Isis  97 

ing  to  the  natural  law  of  harmony.  If  you  were  in 
a  congregation  which  was  singing  out  of  tune,  the  best 
way  to  bring  about  harmony  would  be  not  to  stop  the 
singing  and  talk  about  it,  but  to  sing  steadily  and  firmly 
in  perfect  tune  yourself.  Those  next  to  you  would 
catch  and  spread  the  harmony  until  all  were  singing  in 
tune.  It  will  be  only  the  working  out  of  this  law  of 
harmony  that  will  ultimately  redeem  "the  round  world 
and  all  that  dwell  thereon." 

Only  the  manifestation  of  The  Christ  in  your  heart 
and  life  can  bring  peace  on  earth,  goodwill  toward 
men.  Any  line  of  conduct  that  really  brings  peace 
and  goodwill  is  therefore  an  expression  of  The 
Christ  or  Divine  Harmony. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

NARCOTICS,    ALCOHOL    AND    PSYCHISM. 

The  human  body  is  the  Temple  of  the  Living  God.1 
Within  it  are  certain  vital  centers  comparable  to 
doors  2  which  open  into  inner  shrines.  Using  these 
centers  as  points  of  contact,  the  life  forces  from  the 
higher  planes  flow  into  the  physical  body  through 
them  as  an  electrical  current  flows  through  a  wire. 
And  it  is  through  these  centers  that  The  Christ- 
force  must  flow  to  reach  and  spiritualize  man's  va- 
rious bodies  before  their  redemption  or  resurrection 
can  take  place.  By  resurrection  we  mean  the  ulti- 
mate building  up  of  a  spiritual  body  within  the  physi- 
cal by  a  process  of  gradually  raising  the  vibrations 
of  its  particles  to  respond  to  the  key-note  sounded 
by  the  Divine  or  Higher  Self. 

These  centers  or  doors  are  normally  protected  by 
nature  with  oily  coverings  or  sheaths  (composed 
of  both  astral  and  physical  matter)  which  permit 
the  flow  of  the  normal  life-forces  and  protect  them 
from  all  others.  These  doors  should  be  opened  only 
by  a  gradual  purification  and  development  of  the 
protecting  sheaths.  Normally  this  takes  place  as  a 
natural  growth  resulting  from  a  life  of  mental  and 
bodily  purity,  and  intense  spiritual  aspiration.  It 
should  not  be  a  forced  or  hothouse  growth,  for  each 
door  must  be  opened  and  closed  under  the  absolute 
control  of  the  will.  Each  individual  has  been  given 
these  doors  to  guard,  and  is  held  responsible  for 

1  I  Corinthians  VI.   19. 

*  In  ancient  times  a  door  meant  a  passage  way  leading  into  a 
chamber  and  was  not  used  as  commonly  as  now  to  mean  that  which 
closed  the  passage  way. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  99 

their  keeping.  Only  as  he  can  master  them,  and  in 
full  knowledge  open  them  to  the  knock  of  The  Christ, 
and  close  them  to  His  enemies,  can  he  hope  to  con- 
quer. It  is  only  after  long  training  and  great  spirit- 
ual growth  that  the  entities  of  the  astral  world  can 
be  mastered  and  held  at  bay  when  the  doors  are 
opened.  In  fact  the  first  and  most  important  work 
of  the  advanced  disciple  is  to  stand  faithful  watch 
over  these  doors.  "Keep  thou  the  door  of  thine 
heart." 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  the  Mother-principle  or  the 
power  of  bringing  forth,  hence,  the  destruction  of 
the  sheaths  prevents  the  bringing  forth  or  manifest- 
ing of  The  Christ-force  within  you.  The  sin  against 
the  Holy  Ghost,  the  "unpardonable  sin,"  (unpardon- 
able only  because  irreparable)  is  the  separation  of 
the  personality  from  the  guidance  of  the  Higher 
Self  through  the  destruction  of  the  means  of  con- 
tact. This  takes  place  through  the  breaking  down  of 
the  doors  or  the  destruction  of  the  oily  sheaths  that 
protect  the  centers  leading  from  the  physical  into  the 
astral  and  psychic  bodies.  Once  these  sheaths  are 
destroyed,  the  person  is  no  longer  able  to  close  the 
doors  and  so  becomes  an  easy  prey  to  the  denizens 
of  the  astral.  Such  an  one  becomes  a  helpless  victim 
to  any  and  all  sorts  of  psychic  imposition  and  decep- 
tion. 

There  is  no  such  thing  as  a  "lost  Soul,"  but  it  is 
possible  for  the  personality  to  persistently  refuse  the 
guidance  of  the  Higher  Self  and  ultimately  break 
away  from  it  entirely  and  become  a  lost  human-ani- 
mal. The  animal  life-force  of  such  a  soulless  entity 
may  incarnate  several  times,  each  time  growing 
more  degenerate,  until  it  has  finally  exhausted  the 
force  obtained  during  its  contact  with  the  Soul  and 


100  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

the  aggregated  atoms  disintegrate  and  return  to  the 
elements  from  which  they  were  gathered.  The  Soul 
in  such  cases  is  not  lost  but  is  indrawn  to  await  a 
new  opportunity  to  gather  up  the  materials  neces- 
sary to  clothe  itself  in  a  personality. 

There  are  several  abnormal  ways  in  which  the 
oily  protecting  sheaths  can  be  broken  down  and  the 
doors  thrown  open,  chief  among  which  are  the  use 
of  alcohol  and  narcotic  drugs.  Chemically  speaking, 
ordinary  alcohol  is  ethyl-hydroxide.  The  ethyl  (the 
spirit)  vibrates  to  the  highest  rate  reached  by  mere 
physical  matter,  the  point  where  matter  transcends 
the  physical  and  enters  the  astral,  the  ethyl  actually 
functioning  on  both  planes.  Narcotic  drugs  also  con- 
tain an  ethyl  element.  The  ethyl  when  taken  into 
the  body  immediately  seeks  to  escape  into  the  astral, 
and  it  naturally  follows  the  usual  avenues  of  com- 
munication between  the  two  planes.  But  in  escap- 
ing it  passes  through  the  centers  in  a  reverse  direc- 
tion to  the  normal  current  and  gradually  burns  off 
the  insulating  sheaths  until  in  time  they  are  utterly 
destroyed,  just  as  an  electrical  insulation  might  be 
burned  off  by  interference  with  the  normal  flow  of 
the  current. 

This  breakdown  may  be  very  rapid,  as  in  the  case 
of  an  habitual  drunkard  or  drug  fiend,  or  it  may  be 
insidious  and  not  show  markedly  for  several  incar- 
nations, but  the  result  is  certain  and  every  indul- 
gence in  the  substances  mentioned  is  a  step  toward 
the  end.  Ultimately  this  leaves  the  doors  unguarded 
and  open  for  all  the  horrors  of  the  lowest  astral-plane 
to  rush  in  and  take  possession  of  the  "Temple  of  the 
Living  God"  thus  desecrated.  Bulwer-Lytton  gives 
a  realistic  description  of  some  of  these  horrors  in 
his  occult  novel,  "Zanoni."  In  that  story  the  student 


The  Voice  of  his  101 

opened  the  doors  abnormally  by  the  use  of  drugs  and 
being  unable  to  close  them  through  fright  at  the 
sights  that  met  his  gaze,  was  haunted  until  his  death. 

Tobacco  although  classed  as  a  narcotic  does  not 
contain  the  elements  so  destructive  to  the  psychic 
centers,  in  fact  when  not  used  to  excess  is  rather 
soothing.  It  does  however,  injuriously  affect  the 
heart  and  nervous  system.  From  an  occult  stand- 
point one  of  the  greatest  objections  to  its  use  is  its 
tendency  to  form  a  habit.  It  goes  without  saying 
that  the  aspirant  for  the  spiritual  life  must  be  master 
of  all  conditions  and  functions  and  a  slave  to  none. 
Hence  while  tobacco  is  not  rigidly  prohibited  in  the 
earlier  stages  of  growth,  its  use  is  strongly  advised 
against. 

Tea  and  coffee  are  stimulants  but  not  narcotics 
in  the  sense  we  use  the  term,  as  they  do  not  contain 
the  injurious  elements.  Their  excessive  use  does 
affect  the  nervous  system  injuriously,  although  many 
sensitive  persons  find  that  their  moderate  use  has  a 
beneficial  and  tonic  effect,  but  their  use  should  not 
be  abused. 

The  drunkard  and  the  drug  habitue  open  the  doors 
while  in  a  state  of  debauchery,  and  in  such  a  con- 
dition, being  particularly  unable  to  defend  themselves, 
they  practically  invite  all  the  fiends  of  the  under- 
world to  enter  and  take  possession. 

It  is  our  duty  to  give  our  sympathy  and  help 
to  this  class  of  sorely  afflicted  ones,  for  since  it  took 
many  lives  to  break  down  the  protective  sheaths,  it 
will  require  a  long  hard  fight  to  rebuild  them.  Hence 
do  not  let  such  unfortunate  ones  become  discouraged. 
No  matter  how  many  times  they  may  fall  back  into  the 
old  habits,  every  effort  to  conquer  aids  in  the  rebuild- 
ing. And  the  very  fierceness  of  the  struggle  will  ulti- 


102  The  Voice  of  Isis 

mately  strengthen  the  Soul.  But  no  matter  how  sin- 
cerely they  repent,  or  what  spiritual  advance  they 
make  as  a  result  of  the  sufferings  they  undergo,  when 
the  aura  is  tainted  with  narcotics  or  rilled  with  fumes 
of  alcohol,  and  until  the  protective  sheaths  of  these 
centers  are  rebuilt,  it  is  utterly  impossible  for  a  Master 
or  Messenger  from  The  Great  White  Lodge  to  contact 
(or  come  anywhere  near), such  an  one,  no  matter 
hozv  great  the  student's  psychic  or  spiritual  develop- 
ment. On  the  contrary  they  will  have  a  bitter  fight 
to  keep  out  of  their  auras  entities  from  the  astral- 
plane,  and  it  will  require  many  incarnations  of  such 
fighting  ere  the  sheaths  can  be  rebuilt.  These  sheaths 
are  not  broken  down  in  one  incarnation,  but  since  in 
each  incarnation  there  is  a  tendency  to  repeat  the 
same  old  mistakes  until  they  are  conquered,  so  in  each 
incarnation  there  is  a  tendency  to  increase  the  weak- 
ness brought  over  from  the  past  until  the  final  break- 
down comes.  The  rebuilding  must  necessarily  follow 
the  same  law,  *.  e.,  be  brought  about  by  gradual  accom- 
plishment through  determined  and  persistent  con- 
structive effort. 

We  read  in  the  Bible  that  no  drunkard  can  inherit 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.1  In  this  sense  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  means  the  highest  spiritual-plane,  which 
can  be  reached  only  by  the  perfect  control  of  the 
doors  or  centers  through  which  alone  communion  is 
possible.  The  Bible  does  not  say  that  no  drunkard 
can  be  saved,  but  that  he  cannot  reach  into  the  higher 
spiritual  realms  and  come  into  conscious  touch  with 
his  Father-in-heaven  until  he  has  conquered.  He  has 
destroyed  the  means  of  communication,  and  it  is  only 
after  earnest  and  persistent  effort,  through  many  lives, 
that  such  an  one  can  gradually  rebuild  the  sheaths, 

1  I   Corinthians.   VI.    10. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  103 

purify  the  centers,  and  again  make  the  body  a  fit 
Temple  for  the  coming  of  The  Christ.  Many  drunk- 
ards desire  to  stop  drinking  but,  being  open  to  the 
astral-plane,  they  are  unable  to  resist  the  urge  of  those 
disembodied  ones  who  have  passed  out  of  physical 
life  while  addicted  to  drink  and  have  no  means  of 
gratifying  their  desires  in  the  astral  world.  In  order 
to  gratify  them  they  must  come  into  touch  with  the 
physical-plane  by  entering  into  or  obsessing  someone 
on  the  physical-plane  ere  they  can  again  experience 
the  effects  of  the  drug.  On  the  other  hand  there 
are  drinkers  who  simply  say  "I  am  done  with  drink" 
and  never  touch  it  thereafter.  In  such  cases  they 
are  unconsciously  rebuilding  the  centers  until  finally 
a  point  is  reached  where  the  doors  can  be  closed  at 
will,  and  it  only  requires  some  strong  emotion  to  put 
the  will  into  effect.  This  will  is  often  aroused  in  a 
dramatic  manner  at  the  sudden  "conversions"  which 
so  frequently  result  from  various  forms  of  religious 
excitement. 

It  is  onfy  in  a  normal,  purified,  strong  and  healthy 
body,  with  every  function  at  its  highest  degree  of 
development  and  every  center  under  perfect  control 
that  The  Christ  can  fully  manifest  on  earth.  You  can 
live  The  Christ-life  and  attain  to  a  high  degree  of 
spirituality  and  take  many  advanced  steps  without 
meeting  all  these  requirements,  but  you  cannot  reach 
Mastery  without  fulfilling  all  the  Law. 

One  of  the  most  noticeable  karmic  results  of  the  use 
of  narcotics  and  alcohol  in  past  incarnations  can  be 
seen  in  the  numerous  non-spiritual,  subjective  me- 
diums, of  the  irresponsible  type,  who  are  to  be  found 
xm  every  hand.  Their  doors,  destroyed  in  past  lives, 
now  stand  wide  open  leaving  theni  at  the  mercy  of  any 
and  every  entity  who  desires  to  gratify  its  animal 


104  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

senses  upon  the  physical-plane.  Truly,  their  lot  is  a 
pitiable  one;  the  more  so  because  they  know  not  the 
terrible  dangers  they  run. 

Another  karmic  result  of  the  action  of  alcohol  and 
drugs  is  to  be  found  in  a  certain  class  of  congenital 
imbeciles  whose  psychic  centers  cannot  even  connect 
with  the  ordinary  centers  of  the  physical  body ;  in  fact 
many  of  them  are  the  reincarnations  of  the  soulless 
entities  mentioned  above.  They  have  almost  no  vol- 
untary control  of  any  but  the  lowest  animal  functions, 
and  must  finish  out  their  incarnation  in  a  sort  of  veg- 
etative animal  existence. 

Still  another  way  in  which  the  doors  are  frequently 
broken  open  is  by  placing  yourself  in  a  passive,  non- 
resisting  state  and  making  the  demand  for  psychic  ex- 
periences, or  "sitting  for  development"  as  it  is  called. 
In  this  practice  you  are  placing  yourself  in  a  negative 
state  in  which  any  entity  dwelling  on  the  lower  astral- 
plane  can  help  you  break  open  the  doors.  This  either 
destroys  the  doors  or  abnormally  forces  the  develop- 
ment of  the  psychic  centers  instead  of  unfolding  them 
as  a  natural  accompaniment  of  spiritual  growth. 
When  results  have  been  thus  obtained,  since  the  doors 
are  not  under  the  control  of  your  will,  they  are  open 
to  any  entity  who  desires  to  obsess  you.  Even  if  the 
obsessing  entity  is  a  disembodied  friend  of  good  moral 
character  your  condition  is  not  altered,  for  he  must 
be  near  you  constantly  to  protect  you  from  the  fiends.1 
This  is  what  takes  place  in  ordinary  subjective  me- 
diumship.  As  we  said  in  Letters  From  The  Teacher2 
"The  difference  between  spiritual  communication  and 
subjective  mediumship  is  a  difference  both  of  vibra- 
tion and  method.  The  right  way  to  contact  the  higher 
planes  is  to  raise  the  vibrations  of  your  physical  and 

1  See    The   Shadow  Land,   by   Hamlin    Garlin. 
3  Page  44. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  105 

psychic  bodies  and  their  centers  until  they  vibrate  in 
harmony  with  the  key-note  of  the  Soul-plane,  at  which 
pitch  "no  evil  thing  can  come  nigh  thy  dwelling." 
As  we  can  only  become  aware  of  a  thing  when  some 
part  of  our  organism  responds  to  its  vibrations,  the 
psychic  must  have  the  proper  development  to  come 
into  harmony  with  the  spiritual-plane  ere  he  can  con- 
tact the  Masters  or  respond  to  things  which  touch  upon 
or  vibrate  within  the  octave  of  their  key-note. 

"On  the  one  hand — spiritual  communication — the 
psychic,  through  spiritual  living,  loving  thoughts  and 
helpful  actions  in  many  lives,  must  build  into  his  or 
her  character  enough  of  the  divine  principle  of  Com- 
passion for  all  humanity  to  raise  the  vibrations  of  all 
the  bodies,  either  temporarily  or  continuously,  to  the 
note  of  spiritual  love  to  which  the  Masters  of  Com- 
passion naturally  vibrate.  On  the  other  hand — sub- 
jective mediumship — the  psychic,  through  various 
means,  either  mentally  by  stilling  the  thoughts,  or 
phvsically  by  various  Yogi  practices  such  as  gazing 
at  a  crystal,  a  black  spot,  or  sitting  in  a  constrained 
position,  through  breathing  exercises  and  many  other 
still  more  objectionable  practices — has  gained  the 
power  of  stilling  the  physical  vibrations  and  becom- 
ing negative;  or  when  through  the  oily  sheaths  hav- 
ing become  weakened  or  destroyed  the  psychic  is  nat- 
urally negative.  In  such  a  state  the  physical  atoms,  not 
being  held  together  by  the  vibratory  rhythm  to  which 
they  naturally  respond,  slow  down  and  fly  off  to  such 
an  extent  that  any  discarnate  entity  clothed  in  atoms 
of,  and  vibrating  to  the  note  of,  the  astral-plane — 
which  is  next  to  and  in  its  lower  degrees  overlaps  the 
earth-plane — can  gather  up  and  clothe  himself  in  suf- 
ficient of  the  physical  atoms  thus  thrown  off  to  tem- 
porarily vibrate  to  the  key-note  of  the  physical-plane 
and  become  temporarily  recognizable  on  that  plane. 


106  The  Voice  of  Isis 

"In  the  first  instance  the  whole  desire  of  the  psychic 
is  to  uplift  humanity;  he  is  filled  with  compassion  for 
the  Race  and  desires  to  give  himself  as  a  willing  sac- 
rifice to  bring  enlightenment  to  the  world.  This  is 
true  spiritual  development.  The  Teachers  and  Mas- 
ters whom  he  contacts  do  not  see  the  little  individ- 
ual difficulties,  or  if  They  do,  They  understand  the 
Law  and  know  that  all  is  working  out  for  the  best, 
that  only  Wisdom  can  really  help.  Given  Wisdom, 
Love  and  sustaining  help,  the  disciples  can,  and  indeed 
must,  work  out  their  own  personal  problems.  As 
Paul  says:  "Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear 
and  trembling."  All  spiritual  communication  is  up- 
lifting, and  the  spiritual  atoms  which  the  psychic  has 
contacted  and  drawn  into  his  body  will  rejuvenate 
and  strengthen  the  physical,  uplift  the  mental  and  ad- 
vance him  on  the  Path  of  Spiritual  Attainment. 

"In  the  second  instance,  by  giving  up  the  command 
over  the  life-forces  and  throwing  open  or  breaking 
down  the  doors  of  the  sacred  centers,  the  vitality  is 
drawn  upon  and  the  atoms  thrown  off  are  used  to 
bring  to  the  physical-plane  the  denizens  of  the  astral. 
These  may  be  pure  or  vile,  and  are  attracted  to  the 
medium  in  exact  ratio  to  the  state  of  the  atoms  which 
he  or  she  gives  off  during  the  negative  "sitting."  If 
you  understand  this,  and  the  fact  that  most  of  the 
entities  contracted  upon  the  astral  plane  are  not 
Spiritual  Beings,  but  merely  men  and  women  with 
their  most  dense  and  outer  garment  (the  physical 
body)  removed,  you  will  understand  the  danger  of 
giving  yourself  up  to  their  use.  Since  they  are  using 
astral  senses  they  can  see  farther  ahead  than  those 
of  the  earth-plane,  but  such  advice  as  they  have  to 
give  should  be  taken  just  as  you  would  take  the  ad- 
vice of  any  earthly  friend — subject  to  your  own  good 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  107 

judgment  and  common-sense.  Usually  such  entities 
are  interested  in  the  daily  life  of  the  sitters  rather  than 
their  true  spiritual  advance,  but,  if  evilly  disposed  or 
lacking  Wisdom  and  a  knowledge  of  the  Law,  they 
can  and  often  do  deceive.  They  can  only  come  to  earth 
as  they  left  it,  i.  e.,  clothed  in  physical  atoms ;  the  fact 
that  to  manifest  on  the  physical-plane  they  must  steal 
physical  atoms  from  the  medium  and  sitters  is  proof 
positive  of  this.  Often  their  desire  is  to  help  alleviate 
earthly  conditions,  but  their  advice,  while  valuable  in 
many  cases,  is  still  in  accord  with  worldly  standards. 
In  fact  their  activity  is  much  like  that  of  a  well-mean- 
ing but  over-meddlesome  friend  on  the  earth-plane. 
They  desire  to  help  their  friends  out  of  difficulties, 
over  hard  places,  and  often  give  advice  which  helps 
to  make  money  out  of  the  credulity  of  their  fellow-men. 
This,  as  you  can  see,  but  helps  to  sink  the  Race  deeper 
into  the  mire  of  earthly  affairs.  The  first  is  the  Con- 
structive, the  second  the  Destructive  method  of  com- 
munication. In  no  case — unless  they  are  Masters,  in 
which  case  they  will  manifest  quite  differently,  as  we 
will  explain  later — are  they  different  from  the  people 
on  earth,  except  that  they  are  functioning  in  a  body 
composed  of  finer  matter. 

"You  can  not  always  tell  which  of  the  above  men- 
tioned methods  have  been  used  by  the  teachings  re- 
ceived, for  even  in  subjective  mediumship  the  teach- 
ing may  be  of  a  higher  moral  character,  just  as  some 
friend  might  give  you  a  highly  moral  address.  But  no 
matter  who  the  entity  claims  to  be,  he  will  not  be  a 
Master  of  Wisdom  if  the  subjective  method  is  used, 
for  no  Master  of  the  Right  Hand  Path  ever  uses  that 
method.  In  this  case  it  is  not  a  question  of  what 
teachings  are  given,  but  how  they  are  given. 

"One  absolute  test  as  to  which  method  a  psychic  is 


108  The  Voice  of  Isis 

using  and  from  whence  the  messages  come  is  the  effect 
on  the  physical  body.  In  spiritual  communication  the 
psychic  is  clothed  upon  by  spiritual  atoms  which  self- 
effacement  and  compassion  have  drawn  to  him,  and 
he  grows  more  spiritual.  If  after  the  experience  his 
vitality  is  augmented  and  a  peaceful,  happy  and  vig- 
orous feeling  remains,  even  for  days  afterward;  if  life 
seems  fuller,  trials  easier  to  bear  and  love  more  abun- 
dant, you  can  rest  assured  that  he  has  risen  above 
earthly  things  and  has  been  clothed  upon  by  the  Spirit, 
and  has  brought  back  lessons  for  the  benefit  of  human- 
ity. This  is  the  form  of  communion  with  the  higher 
planes  that  should  be  desired.  But  do  not  strive  for  it ; 
let  it  come  as  a  natural  growth  resulting  from  a  life 
filled  with  loving,  unsefish  thoughts  and  deeds. 

"In  subjective  mediumship,  however,  owing  to  the 
loss  of  physical  atoms  and  vitality,  the  psychic  is  de- 
pleted and  weakened,  and  soon  shows  it,  not  only  in 
bodily  health,  but  also  in  mental  power.  His  nervous 
system  is  enervated,  his  mentality  is  dulled  and  a  great 
stumbling-block  has  been  placed  in  his  path.  If,  after 
communicating,  the  psychic  is  exhausted,  tired,  nerv- 
ous, cross,  fretful  and  uneasy,  even  for  days,  you  can 
rest  assured  that  he  has  allowed  some  astral  entity  to 
absorb  his  vitality  and  contact  him  by  the  second  and 
destructive  method.  It  must  be  remembered,  how- 
ever, that  even  the  psychic  who  uses  the  constructive 
or  correct  method  of  communication  is  far  more  highly 
sensitive  than  the  average  and  hence  is  easily  affected 
by  any  lack  of  harmony  in  surrounding  conditions, 
either  physical  or  mental,  and  often  suffers  from  such 
conditions,  although  later  is  able  to  conquer  or  rise 
above  them.  This  is  one  reason  why  in  all  ancient 
religions  the  Sibyl  or  inspired  Priestess  was  always 
surrounded  by  love,  beauty  and  harmony  and  sacredly 
protected  against  all  forms  of  inharmony." 


The  Voice  of  Isis  109 

We  are  now  nearing  the  end  of  the  Fifth  Root-Race1 
of  the  Fourth  Round  (having  just  entered  its  sixth 
sub-race)  and  are  reaching  a  point  where,  if  we  have 
been  diligent,  we  should  begin  to  lift  up  our  eyes  and 
see  our  Father  afar  off  and  say :  "I  will  arise  and  go  to 
my  Father."  Many  are  beginning  to  unfold  their  in- 
ner faculties  and  realize  the  presence  or  perhaps  hear 
the  voice  of  their  Divine  Guide  and  Teacher,  and  re- 
ceive messages  and  teachings  from  Him.  While  the 
teachings  of  the  Masters  are  always  true — for  there 
can  be  no  confusion,  since  they  are  all  One,  and  give 
out  identical  teachings — yet  psychics  who  have  never 
studied  the  philosophy  of  evolution  and  rebirth,  or 
the  laws  of  communication  with  such  Beings,  cannot 
always  grasp,  hence  cannot  correctly  interpret,  the  les- 
sons given,  and  much  confusion  results  owing  to  the 
intellectual  limitations  of  the  instrument  they  must  use 
i.  e.,  the  physical  brain.  The  physical  brain  cannot 
grasp  or  respond  to  ideas  of  which  the  pictures,  or 
at  least  some  conception — the  seed,  so  to  speak — has 
not  been  acquired  through  the  outer  sense  organs,  i.  e., 
through  study,  observation,  etc.  At  this  point  there 
are  many,  many  avenues  of  deception,  hence  the  great 
necessity  for  the  pupil  to  come  under  proper  instruc- 
tion, and  above  all  to  learn  that  strict  obedience  to  the 
laws  which  ages  of  occult  training  have  proved  to  be 
the  only  safeguards,  is  a  necessity,  which  laws  he  can- 
not find  out  for  himself  in  one  incarnation.  Nor  can 
he  find  them  out  through  the  guidance  of  astral  teach- 
ers, for  no  matter  how  well-intentioned  such  teachers 
may  be,  they  are  still  limited  to  the  stage  of  their  own 
evolution.  Hence  only  those  who  have  passed  through 
all  stages  of  evolution  and  have  mastered  the  Law 
can  give  such  training.  Such  great  Teachers  do  not 

1  For  an  account  of  the  Rounds  and  Races,  see  Chapters  XV  and 
XVII,  also  the  Theosophical  text  books,  such  as  "Ancient  Wisdom," 
"The  Ocean  of  Theosophy,"  etc. 


110  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

impart  this  training  through  astral  means,  for  they 
have  left  well-authenticated  records  and  text-books  of 
their  philosophy.  Hence  like  any  other  scientific  study, 
only  when  the  student  has  familiarized  himself  with 
the  fundamentals  of  the  science  will  the  advanced 
Teacher  attempt  to  communicate  with  him,  for  those 
great  Teachers  know  only  too  well  the  temptations  and 
deceptions  of  the  astral-plane  and  their  great  desire 
is  to  protect  humanity  from  these  dangers  rather 
than  to  lead  into  them.  Much  better  for  a  teacher  to 
throw  a  pupil  into  the  water  ere  he  had  been  told  how 
to  swim. 

Just  as  a  college  contains  the  accumulated  wisdom 
and  experience  of  all  who  have  made  discoveries  in 
any  line  of  study,  while  an  individual  experimenting 
alone  has  only  his  own  experience  to  guide  him  and 
must  make  many  blundering  mistakes  which  a  col- 
lege training  would  have  prevented,  so  it  is  in  occult- 
ism. 

The  Bible  is  full  of  references  to  these  psychic  cen- 
ters. Whenever  doors  or  gates  are  mentioned  in  the 
Scriptures  the  reference  is  to  these  sacred  centers. 
The  following  are  a  few  of  the  many  references :  "Lift 
up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates;  and  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye 
everlasting  doors ;  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come 
in."  1 

The  Children  of  Israel  were  told  to  take  the  blood 
of  the  sacrificial  lamb  (symbolizing  The  Christ-force 
sacrificed  in  humanity)  and  "strike  the  lintel  and  the 
two  side  posts  with  the  blood  that  is  in  the  bason ;  and 
none  of  you  shall  go  out  at  the  door  of  his  house  until 
the  morning'' 2  as  a  sign  that  "the  Lord  will  pass  over 
the  door,  and  will  not  suffer  the  destroyer  to  come  into 
your  houses  to  smite  you." 

1  Psalms,  XXIV,  7. 
2  Exodus,   XII,  22-23. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  111 

The  whole  story  of  Job  is  but  a  history  of  an  initia- 
tion. In  it  Job  laments  as  his  chief  sin  that  he  opened 
his  door  to  the  "traveler"1;  and  again  he  asks,  "have 
the  gates  of  death  been  opened  unto  thee  ?  or  hast  thou 
seen  the  doors  of  the  shadow  of  death?"2  Both  of 
these  statements  are  incomprehensible  from  any  lit- 
eral point  of  view,  but  are  plain  in  the  light  of  the 
above.  Wisdom  is  spoken  of  as  "she  crieth  at  the 
gates,  at  the  entry  of  the  city,  at  the  coming  in  at  the 
doors."  3  In  Isaiah  we  have  the  invitation :  "Come, 
my  people,  enter  thou  into  thy  chambers,  and  shut 
thy  doors  about  thee."  *  This  is  a  condition  necessary 
to  entering  into  communion  with  the  spiritual-plane, 
for  the  doors  must  be  shut  to  the  lower  ere  they  can 
be  opened  to  the  higher.  In  the  New  Testament  we 
have  these  directions  as  to  prayer  (spiritual  commu- 
nion), "But  thou,  when  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thy 
closet,  and  when  thou  has  shut  thy  door  (i.  e.,  shut 
out  all  worldly  and  astral  conditions),  pray  to  thy 
Father  which  is  in  secret;  and  thy  Father  which  see- 
eth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly."  5 

A  most  significant  allusion  to  the  necessity  for  mas- 
tery over  the  doors  is  given  in  St.  Luke.Q  "Strive 
to  enter  in  at  the  straight  gate :  for  many,  I  say  unto 
you,  will  seek  to  enter  in,  and  shall  not  be  able.  When 
once  the  master  of  the  house  is  risen  up,  and  hath 
shut  to  the  door.  .  .  .  But  he  shall  say,  I  tell  you, 
I  know  not  whence  ye  are;  depart  from  me,  all  ye 
workers  of  iniquity."  To  whom  can  this  dismissal  ap- 
ply but  to  those  without  the  gates?  This  plainly  al- 
ludes to  that  state  of  development  in  which  we  have 
gained  such  mastery  over  the  doors  that  we  can  shut 
them  to  all  undesirable  influences,  even  though  they 

*Job,   XXXI.32.  « Isaiah,   XXVI.20. 

2  Job,  XXXVIII.17.  'St.   Matthew,    VI.6. 

*  Proverbs,  VIII.3.  8  St.  Luke,  XIII.24-27. 


112  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

have  supped  with  us,  and  say,  "Depart  all  ye  work- 
ers of  iniquity,"  and  make  them  depart.  For  you  must 
be  the  master  of  your  house. 

Ag-ain,  in  St.  John  X,  1-3,  we  read,  "Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  He  that  entereth  not  by  the  door  into 
the  sheepfold,  but  climbeth  up  some  other  way,  the 
same  is  a  thief  and  a  robber.  But  he  that  entereth 
in  by  the  door  is  the  shepherd  of  the  sheep.  To  him 
the  porter  openeth :  and  the  sheep  hear  his  voice :  and 
he  calleth  his  own  sheep  by  name,  and  leadeth  them 
out." 

Note  carefully  the  promise  given  to  the  angel  of  the 
Church  of  Philadelphia,  in  Revelation  III,  7-13 :  "Be- 
hold I  have  set  before  thee  an  open  door,  and  no  man 
can  shut  it:  for  thou  hast  a  little  strength,  and  hast 
kept  my  word,  and  hast  not  denied  my  name."  This 
promise  is  now  being  literally  fulfilled  as  these  are  the 
last  days  of  the  cycle,  and  this  Movement  is  the  "open 
door"  referred  to.  The  cry  of  The  Christ  rings  in 
the  ears  of  every  student  who  reads  this  lesson:  "Be- 
hold, I  (The  Christ-force)  stand  at  the  door,  (the 
heart  center)  and  knock:  jf  any  man  hear  my  voice, 
and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  unto  him,  and  will 
sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me." 

Just  as  there  is  danger  in  opening  the  doors  of  the 
individual,  so  it  is  with  all  spiritual  movements.  Every 
movement  really  sent  out  by  the  Great  White  Lodge 
is  a  vital  center  or  door  in  the  great  body  of  humanity, 
and  as  such  doors  are  opened  it  becomes  the  duty  of 
every  student  who  enters  therein  to  sacredly  guard 
his  door,  and  see  to  it  that  only  The  Christ-force  shall 
enter,  else,  just  as  with  individual  doors,  evil  psychic 
forces  will  pour  in. 

The  door  which  this  Movement  symbolizes  is  a  door 
for  all  humanity.  It  is  the  door  of  the  heart  center 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  113 

through  which  the  love-force  is  poured  out  to  all  the 
centers.  If  a  movement  be  established  through  mere 
psychism,  emotionalism,  or  the  desire  of  some  person- 
ality to  shine  as  a  teacher,  then  the  evil  forces  of  the 
lower  astral-planes  are  poured  out  upon  its  followers 
instead  of  The  Christ-force,  even  if  some  of  the  teach- 
ings given  out  are  seemingly  helpful.  It  will  be 
noticeable,  however,  in  such  movements  that  the  spirit 
of  loving  fellowship  is  absent  and  in  its  place  is  a  ten- 
dency for  their  leaders  to  demand  personal  aggran- 
dizement. 

Therefore,  all  students  of  the  higher  life,  when  con- 
fronted with  a  spiritual  movement  should  seek  in  the 
Silence  the  guidance,  not  of  any  mortal,  but  of 
their  own  Higher  Self  in  regard  to  it.  The  question 
is  not  merely  whether  they  find  in  the  movement  cer- 
tain things  which  they  can  accept  while  rejecting 
others,  but  that  they  must  determine  what  force  is 
being  poured  out  through  that  door  (movement).  For 
every  person  belonging  to  a  spiritual  movement  (as 
well  as  its  leaders),  is  absolutely  responsible  for  the 
force  that  enters  the  body  of  humanity  through  them, 
as  well  as  for  the  force  they  bring  into  the  movement. 

If  any  movement  is  brought  to  your  attention,  and 
it  be  a  true  spiritual  movement,  it  is  the  open  door  for 
you,  and  comes  to  you  in  response  to  your  prayers  for 
more  light  and  help.  If  it  be  not  a  true  spiritual  move- 
ment then  it  comes  to  you  as  a  test  of  your  ability  to 
use  your  intuition  and  judgment.  Therefore  do  not 
accept  the  teachings  of  this  or  any  other  spiritual  or 
occult  movement  until  through  prayerful  considera- 
tion and  meditation  you  receive  the  confirmation  of 
your  own  Divine  Guidance  that  it  is  the  open  door  for 
your  next  step. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  STUDY  OF  KARMA. 

"Be   not    deceived;    God   is    not   mocked:    for 
whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap." 

Galatians  VI.  7. 

The  word  Karma  is  of  Eastern  origin  and  has  no 
exact  equivalent  in  the  English  language.  It  signifies 
the  working  of  a  great  fundamental  law.  "This  law 
— whether  conscious  or  unconscious — predestines 
nothing  and  no  one.  It  exists  from  and  in  Eternity 
truly  for  it  is  Eternity  itself;  and  as  such,  since  no 
act  can  be  coequal  with  Eternity,  it  cannot  be  said 
to  act,  for  it  is  Action  itself.  It  is  not  the  wave  which 
drowns  a  man,  but  the  personal  action  of  the  wretch 
who  goes  deliberately  and  places  himself  under  the 
impersonal  action  of  the  laws  that  govern  the  ocean's 
motion.  Karma  creates  nothing,  nor  does  it  design. 
It  is  man  who  plans  and  creates  causes,  and  Karmic 
Law  adjusts  the  effects,  which  adjustment  is  not  an 
act,  but  universal  harmony,  tending  ever  to  resume  its 
original  position,  like  a  bough,  which,  bent  down  too 
forcibly,  rebounds  with  corresponding  vigor.  If  it 
happen  to  dislocate  the  arm  that  tried  to  bend  it  out 
of  its  natural  position,  shall  we  say  that  it  is  the  bough 
which  broke  our  arm,  or  that  our  own  folly  has 
brought  us  to  grief?  ...  It  has  not  involved  its 
decrees  in  darkness  purposely  to  perplex  man;  nor 
shall  it  punish  him  who  dares  to  scrutinize  its  myster- 
ies. On  the  contrary,  he  who  through  study  and  medi- 
tation unveils  its  intricate  paths,  and  throws  light  on 
those  dark  ways,  in  the  windings  of  which  so  many 
men  perish  owing  to  their  ignorance  of  the  labyrinth 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  115 

of  life — is  making  for  the  good  of  his  fellowmen. 
Karma  is  an  Absolute  and  Eternal  Law  in  the  World 
of  Manifestation;  and  as  there  can  only  be  one  Abso- 
lute, as  One  eternal  ever-present  Cause,  believers  in 
Karma  cannot  be  regarded  as  Atheists  or  Material- 
ists— still  less  as  Fatalists,  for  Karma  is  one  with  the 
Unknowable,  of  which  it  is  an  aspect,  in  its  effects 
in  the  phenomenal  world."1 

While  Karma  is  the  implacable  Law  of  Cause  and 
Effect,  bringing  to  you  in  exact  justice  the  net  re- 
sults of  your  past  thoughts,  desires  and  acts,  it  does 
not  do  so  in  detail  and  hence  is  not  the  avenging 
Nemesis  it  is  so  frequently  represented  to  be.  "For 
the  only  decree  of  Karma — an  eternal  and  immutable 
decree — is  absolute  Harmony  in  the  world  of  Matter  as 
it  is  in  the  world  of  Spirit.  It  is  not,  therefore,  Karma 
that  rewards  or  punishes,  but  it  is  we  who  reward  or 
punish  ourselves,  according  as  we  work  with,  through 
and  along  with  Nature,  abiding  by  the  laws  on  which 
that  harmony  depends,  or — breaking  them."2  It  is  not 
your  acts  that  are  the  cause  of  your  Karma,  but  the 
possession  or  lack  of  certain  Soul-qualities  which  is 
the  cause  both  of  your  thoughts,  desires  and  acts, 
whose  effects  are  brought  to  you  by  the  great  Law 
of  Harmony  for  readjustment.  The  "Lords  of 
Karma,"3  spoken  of  so  frequently  in  the  Oriental 
teachings  would  mean,  in  European  parlance,  the  con- 
scious forces  which  bring  about  the  natural  sequence 
of  events.  These  forces,  however,  are  not  blind,  un- 
intelligent streams  of  force  against  which  you  must 
hopelessly  battle,  but  are  the  conscious,  intelligent  Ex- 
ecutors of  the  Law  of  Divine  Harmony  (Love).  Their 
sole  object  is  to  spiritualize  and  perfect  both  the  planet 

*  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky,   Vol.   II,   p.   319. 

2  Ibid,    Vol.  I,  704-5. 

3  Referred   to   in  Esekiel  I,   5,   as  the   "Four   living   creatures.      And 
this  was  their  appearance;  they  had  the  likeness  of  a  man." 


116  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

and  its  inhabitants.  Hence  disobedience  to  the  Law 
is  not  punished  but  is  adjusted,  even  though  the  ad- 
justment brings  about  sorrow  and  suffering. 

The  decrees  of  Karma  are  not  something  to  be  en- 
dured as  a  punishment,  but  if  in  ages  past  you  have 
made  mistakes  and  failed  to  gain  certain  Soul-qual- 
ities which  are  necessary  for  your  further  progress, 
these  great  entitized  Powers  place  before  the  Soul 
the  conditions — which  are  made  necessary  by  your 
past  disobedience  or  inaction — which  the  Soul  itself 
chooses  as  the  best  means  of  learning  the  needed  les- 
sons and  acquiring  the  needed  qualities.  The  per- 
sonality may  suffer  during  the  experiences  it  under- 
goes in  the  conditions  selected  by  the  Soul;  but  just 
as  a  tornado  brings  destruction  yet  is  beneficial  in 
purifying  the  atmosphere  and  sweeping  away  old  ac- 
cumulated conditions  which  were  detrimental,  so  with 
the  karmic  storms  which  sweep  over  the  personality; 
for  their  purpose  is  to  sweep  away  old  false  ways  of 
thinking  that  new  Soul-qualities  may  put  forth  and 
bear  fruit.  Although  the  tornado  is  a  result  of  the  in- 
harmony  and  impurity  created  by  man,  still  it  is  used 
as  an  agent  of  Karma  to  dissipate  the  accumulated 
forces  of  evil  and  to  readjust  the  atmosphere  and  per- 
mit new  conditions  more  advantageous  for  the  evo- 
lution of  the  planet  and  its  inhabitants  to  manifest. 
Thus  the  tornado  was  not  the  cause  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  life  and  property  in  its  path,  it  was  merely  the 
agent  for  adjusting  the  causes  set  up  by  man. 

So  with  the  storms  of  sorrow,  disaster,  and  pov- 
erty in  your  life.  Everything  that  comes  to  you  as 
trouble  or  sorrow  is  simply  the  result  of  your  own 
shortcomings,  your  failure  to  learn  the  lessons  which 
less  painful  experiences  should  have  taught  you.  The 
fundamental  idea  of  Karma  is  Harmony.  It  is  not  a 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  117 

punishment;  not  even  an  inevitable  law  of  suffering 
which  you  must  endure.  But  in  the  course  of  your 
evolution  your  Higher  Self  chooses  to  incarnate  in 
certain  families  and  under  certain  conditions  which 
will  bring  out  the  Soul-quality  which  is  lacking.  The 
conditions  chosen  may  be  the  result  of  causes  set  up 
by  you  in  past  lives,  owing  to  a  lacking  quality,  or  if 
all  those  previous  causes  have  been  worked  out,  they 
may  be  chosen  by  the  Soul  de  novo  to  develop  a  new 
Soul-quality,  without  having  had  any  previous  con- 
nection with  them.  The  main  idea  of  Karma  then 
is  not  one  of  punishment  for  past  failures,  but  that 
you  may  learn  your  lessons  and  gain  as  quickly  as 
possible  the  Soul-qualities  needed,  that  you  may  ful- 
fill your  destiny,  your  special  place  and  work  in  the 
Grand  Plan.  When  the  lessons  have  been  learned 
and  the  quality  gained  the  Law  is  fulfilled  and  there 
is  neither  Karma  nor  anything  else  to  hold  you  to  the 
old  conditions,  except  your  own  free-will.  And  if 
you  hold  to  them  after  you  have  learned  the  lesson 
you  are  but  setting  up  fresh  Karma. 

Therefore,  instead  of  sitting  down  dejectedly  and 
saying  that  you  will  bear  everything  as  your  Karma, 
much  as  a  child  might  stoically  bear  a  whipping,  rather 
be  like  the  child  who  recognizes  the  justice  of  the  whip- 
ping and  sees  behind  it  the  loving  desire  of  its  parents 
to  inculcate  a  needed  lesson  and  whose  heart  is  filled 
with  sorrow  that  it  has  made  the  whipping  necessary. 

It  is  foolish  to  invoke  your  past  Karma  with  the 
idea  of  working  it  out  more  quickly,  for  the  Law  will 
bring  it  to  you  as  fast  as  you  are  able  to  conquer  and 
learn  the  lessons  from  it.  To  thus  demand  that  your 
Karma  be  precipitated  is  to  be  overwhelmed  by  ter- 
rible sufferings  in  order  to  learn  the  lessons  which  a 
little  later  you  would  be  strong  enough  to  learn  with 


118  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

little  or  no  suffering.  To  thus  demand  your  Karma 
would  be  to  set  up  your  judgment  as  superior  to  that 
of  the  Lords  of  Karma,  thus  showing  a  lack  both  of 
discretion  and  humility.  Hence  special  trials  might 
have  to  come  to  you  to  teach  you  the  lessons  which 
otherwise  you  might  have  learned  happily  while  wrork- 
ing  out  the  Law  normally  as  life  brought  it  to  you. 

While  you  must  learn  poise  and  calm  under  all  con- 
ditions, at  the  same  time  you  must  seek  earnestly  with- 
in yourself  for  the  Soul-quality  which  your  trials  are 
most  fitted  to  bring  to  the  surface.  And  when  you  have 
recognized  it  strive  earnestly  to  cultivate  that  quality 
and  manifest  it  in  your  life.  Then  the  old  conditions 
will  quickly  begin  to  fall  away  from  you,  although 
you  will  pass  through  a  period  of  severe  testing  to 
prove  whether  or  not  you  have  really  learned  the  les- 
son and  built  the  desired  quality  into  your  Soul.  Learn- 
ing the  lesson,  however,  does  not  mean  merely  recog- 
nizing it  or  gaining  an  intellectual  conception  of  what 
is  lacking,  but  gaining  the  power  to  manifest  that  qual- 
ity, for  the  change  must  be  within,  not  merely  on  the 
surface.  Recognition  of  what  is  lacking  is  a  necessary 
step  in  attaining  it,  but  when  recognized  then  comes 
the  testing  to  see  if  you  have  really  gained  the  quality 
or  merely  recognized  the  lack.  For  instance,  if  you 
know  that  your  great  lack  is  impatience  or  lack  of  con- 
trol of  your  temper,  as  long  as  only  its  outward  mani- 
festation is  controlled  you  will  still  suffer  from  the 
effects  of  anger,  for  your  friends  will  say,  "He  man- 
aged to  control  his  temper,  but  I  could  see  he  was 
boiling  inside." 

If  your  lacking  quality  is  generosity  and  you 
recognize  the  necessity  of  being  generous  but  give 
merely  because  you  believe  it  your  duty  or  because 
you  expect  gratitude  in  return,  those  who  receive 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  119 

your  gifts  will  instinctively  feel  the  grudging  atti- 
tude of  Soul  back  of  the  gift  and  will  not  send  out 
the  feeling  of  gratitude  you  are  seeking.  You  will 
thus  suffer  from  ingratitude  until  you  can  give  with 
true  generosity  of  Soul.  It  is  not  your  Karma  to 
suffer  from  specific  acts  of  anger  or  ingratitude,  but 
it  is  your  Karma  to  learn  control  of  your  temper  and 
generosity  of  Soul.  If  you  are  driving  an  automobile 
and  notice  something  wrong  with  the  engine  and  stop 
and  adjust  it,  no  harm  results.  But  if  you  are  careless 
and  do  not  correct  the  trouble  and  the  machine  is 
wrecked  and  you  are  injured,  it  was  not  your  Karma 
to  be  injured  by  an  automobile,  but  it  was  your  Karma 
to  be  taught  carefulness  and  common-sense.  Hence 
it  is  not  your  specific  acts  that  bring  your  Karma  to 
you  but  the  lacking  of  Soul-quality ;  and  any  available 
events,  conditions  or  circumstances  are  used  to  teach 
you  the  necessary  lessons.  Your  acts  are  like  leaves 
on  a  tree,  the  result  of  the  amount  and  character  of 
the  sap.  If  the  sap  is  lacking  in  life-force  or  is  dis- 
eased, the  leaves  will  wither  and  fall ;  but  if  the  follow- 
ing season  the  sap  is  enriched  and  regains  its  lack- 
ing quality  the  tree  will  put  forth  perfect  green  leaves. 
It  was  not  the  fault  of  the  leaves  that  they  dropped, 
but  a  lacking  quality  in  the  trees.  As  you  realize  that 
it  is  yourself  who  is  responsible  for  all  the  disturbing 
influences  which  surround  you  and  that  it  rests  with 
you  to  overcome  them  by  eliminating  their  causes,  you 
have  begun  in  the  right  way  to  work  with  the  Law 
and  gain  Self-knowledge  and  Self-poise.  Make  your- 
self one  with  the  Law  and  all  its  manifestations  will 
work  in  harmony. 

The  above  is  but  one  phase  of  the  Law.  In  addition 
to  personal  Karma  there  is  the  Karma  of  the  family, 
the  community,  the  nation,  the  country,  the  Race  and 


120  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

the  world,  all  of  which  modify  and  are  modified  by 
the  personal  Karma.  For  instance,  we  all  suffer  from 
the  storms  and  rigors  of  climatic  conditions,  yet  some 
have  ample  shelter  while  others  have  none;  we  all 
endure  the  economic  conditions  of  society,  its  inequal- 
ities, its  injustices,  etc.,  yet  some  suffer  more  acutely 
than  others  according-  to  their  personal  Karma.  All 
members  of  a  family  are  subject  to  the  same  environ- 
ment, but  individual  members  modify  or  rise  above 
it. 

Thus  the  individual,  the  family,  the  nation,  and 
the  planet  are,  both  individually  and  collectively, 
learning  their  lessons.  The  lesson  for  the  individual 
is  to  recognize  his  responsibility  in  bringing  about 
such  conditions ;  also  the  necessity  for  doing  all  in  his 
power  to  bring  about  better  conditions,  not  only  for 
himself  alone  but  for  all.  For  he  cannot  gain  the 
Soul-qualities  he  is  here  to  learn  without  advancing 
the  evolution  of  the  entire  planet  to  a  certain  extent. 

Many  students  of  life  feel  that  a  great  injustice  has 
been-  done  them  in  that  the  Masters  whom  they  are 
trying  to  serve  do  not  remove  their  physical  burdens 
and  push  them  into  positions  of  ease  where  they  will 
be  able  to  devote  their  time  and  thought  to  the 
Master's  work.  The  Masters  are  just  as  sub- 
ject to  the  Law  of  Karma  as  is  the  lowliest  of  earth's 
children — They  can  work  with  it  but  not  control  it.  A 
farmer  does  the  best  he  can  to  cultivate  his  fields,  but 
he  cannot  make  a  grain  of  wheat  grow  where  a  grain 
of  rye  has  been  planted.  He  can  enrich  the  soil  and 
cultivate  it  so  it  can  bring  forth  a  perfect  crop  of 
rye,  but  the  environment  (the  field)  and  the  climate 
will  still  be  the  same,  and  the  grain  will  still  be  rye, 
not  wheat.  This  law  is  a  benign  and  beneficent  one, 
for  it  is  only  by  reaping  what  we  have  sown,  and  eat- 


The  Voice  of  Isis  121 

ing  of  the  fruits  thereof,  that  we  can  ever  learn  to 
plant  wheat  instead  of  tares. 

Karma  is  looked  upon  by  many  as  merely  the  re- 
sult of  their  actions  in  past  lives  which  determine 
their  present  condition  and  environment.  It  is  this 
and  much  more.  With  the  separation  of  humanity 
into  the  sexes  at  the  close  of  the  Third  Race,  or  as 
the  church  puts  it,  "The  fall  of  Man,"  1  the  Lords  of 
Karma  took  charge  of  the  evolution  of  the  personal- 
ized infant  humanity  and  personal  Karma  became 
operative ;  the  socalled  "fall"  of  man  being  in  reality 
not  a  fall  but  a  necessary  descent  into  physical  em- 
bodiment. 

Considering  humanity  as  one,  as  the  great  body  of 
the  Heavenly  Man  reflected  upon  the  lowest  earth- 
plane  and  broken  up  into  myriad  expressions,  each 
Soul  or  cell  of  this  Great  Body  starts  out  with  but  one 
primal  controlling  desire,  namely,  to  gain  the  neces- 
sary experience  to  fit  it  to  take  its  proper  place  and 
perfectly  fufill  its  function  in  the  Grand  Plan  and  be- 
come one  with  its  Father-in-heaven.  With  this  end 
in  view  the  Soul  marks  out  a  path  that  influences  it 
in  all  its  future  incarnations,  the  local  Karma  of  each 
incarnation  being  but  eddies  along  the  main  stream. 
While  the  Soul,  in  its  higher  aspect,  always  realizes  its 
destiny,  it  must  gain  its  experience  in  and  work 
through  various  personalities  and  is  responsible  for 
the  actions  of  those  personalities.  It  must  build  them 
up  from  life  to  life  and  is  responsible  for  their  creation, 
even  to  the  matter  of  which  they  are  composed.  Thus 
the  Soul2  becomes  the  Higher  Self  or  personal  God 
and  Saviour  of  the  various  personalities.  The  per- 
sonality may  not  heed  the  "still  small  voice"  of  the 

1  Genesis  I,  27;  "In  the  image  of  God  created  he  (the  Elohim)  him; 
male  and  female,  created  he  them." 

-  Do  not  confuse  the  term  "Soul"  with  the  astral  body.  It  is 
used  herein  as  synonymous  with  the  Higher  Self. 


122  The  Voice  of  Isis 

Soul  and  may  fail  and  fall  and  sin,  but  each  failure 
must  be  corrected  and  redeemed  and  the  personality 
brought  back  to  its  real  work. 

The  number  of  incarnations  depends  upon  how 
swiftly  the  Soul  gains  its  experience  and  learns  its 
lessons,  or  in  how  many  by-paths  the  personality  is 
allowed  to  wander,  only  to  retrace  its  steps  to  the 
main  path.  It  is  the  retracing  of  these  wandering 
steps  that  is  ordinarily  referred  to  as  Karma — cause 
and  effect — the  cause  being  the  going  astray,  violating 
the  Law,  the  effect  the  retracing  of  the  steps,  the  re- 
turn to  harmony.  This  is  beautifully  condensed  in 
the  Bible  story  of  the  Prodigal  Son.1  Often  incarna- 
tion after  incarnation  is  spent  in  a  sort  of  a  lethargy, 
experiencing  again  and  again  the  same  things  with- 
out learning  the  lesson  they  are  intended  to  teach. 
Sorrow  and  suffering  and  loss  are  often  the  only 
weapons  that  can  awaken  the  personality  from  its 
lethargy  to  ultimately  accomplish  the  main  work. 

No  two  Souls  have  or  need  precisely  the  same  ex- 
perience. If  we  take  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  from 
the  time  it  is  propelled  outward  from  the  heart  to  per- 
form its  work,  to  the  time  it  returns  again  to  the 
center,  we  will  have  a  fair  illustration  of  the  work- 
ing of  the  Law  of  Karma.  Humanity  as  a  whole  is 
the  blood  stream  composed  of  myriads  of  personalized 
corpuscles,  all  propelled  by  the  one  living  force  and 
vitalized  by  the  one  Breath  to  accomplish  its  great 
work  in  the  Heavenly  Man.  Man  is  possessed  of  free- 
will in  that  his  Higher  Self  has  the  will  to  accomplish 
its  great  work,  but  the  will  of  the  personality  is  only 
free  in  a  limited  sense.  It  is  free  to  stray  from  the 
path,  and  the  Higher  Self  cannot  compel  obedience 
but  can  only  take  advantage  of  every  experience  to 

1St.  Luke  XV,    11-32. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  123 

mould  the  personality  and  ultimately  bring  it  into  the 
main  channel. 

The  Soul,  being  complex  in  its  nature,  must  seek 
for  experience  upon  the  plane  of  differentiation  (phys- 
ical-plane) through  masculine  and  feminine  personal- 
ities. Just  as  the  blood  corpuscles  start  out  from  the 
heart  to  accomplish  their  work  in  the  tissues,  and  after 
having  been  purified  by  the  breath  return  to  the  heart, 
so  these  separated  expressions  of  the  Soul  start  out 
from  the  center  upon  their  great  journey  (called  in 
the  Eastern  teachings,  "the  cycle  of  necessity"),  and 
having  been  purified  by  the  Spirit,  return  to  their  Fath- 
er-in-heaven.  The  blood  may  have  a  long  tedious 
journey  and  be  met  by  apparently  insurmountable 
obstacles  ere  it  can  accomplish  its  work  and  enter  the 
stream  that  is  returning  to  the  heart,  just  so  the  Soul 
may  have  to  overcome  great  obstacles  before  it  can 
return  to  the  heart  center.  This  point  of  return  is  the 
awakening  of  the  personality  to  its  Higher  Self.  It 
may  be  called  "conversion"  or  what  you  will,  but  it 
is  a  recognition  of  its  immortal  destiny  and  a  deter- 
mination to  walk  consciously  in  the  chosen  path,  its 
will  one  with  that  of  its  Higher  Self.  This,  however, 
does  not  mean  that  the  old  Karma  has  been  wiped  out, 
for  as  the  Master  Jesus  plainly  stated,  "For  verily  I 
say  unto  you,  Till  heaven  and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or 
one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law,  till  all  be 
fulfilled."  1 

Many  ask  how  the  doctrine  of  Karma  can  be  recon- 
ciled with  the  doctrine  of  forgiveness  of  sins,  but  a 
simple  illustration  will  explain.  If  a  beloved  child 
through  disobedience  should  pull  down  upon  itself 
some  heavy  object  and  break  a  limb,  its  parents  would 
forgive  the  disobedience,  soothe  its  suffering  and  lav- 

1  St.  Matthew  V,  18. 


124  Tht  Voice  of  I  sis 

ish  love  upon  it,  but  the  forgiveness  could  not  prevent 
the  child  from  reaping  the  results  of  its  acts,  i.  e.,  could 
not  restore  the  broken  limb,  for  that  could  be  brought 
about  only  by  slow  and  painful  readjustment — the 
knitting  of  the  bones — perhaps  with  some  deformity 
remaining,  no  matter  how  great  the  forgiveness  and 
love. 

All  the  obstacles  encountered  are  not  necessarily 
the  result  of  the  Soul's  minor  Karma,  but  may  be  a 
necessary  training  to  fit  it  for  its  chosen  work.  For 
instance,  if  you  wished  to  train  a  horse  to  be  a  hunter, 
you  would  take  it  into  the  fields,  put  obstacles  in  its 
path  and  teach  it  to  jump,  but  if  you  desired  it  to  be 
a  staid  family  horse  you  would  teach  it  not  to  jump, 
but  to  jog  quietly  along  the  smooth,  beaten  roadway. 

You  can  see  this  Law  exemplified  everywhere  in 
Nature.  The  seed  contains  the  future  tree,  and  if  it 
germinates  beneath  a  rock,  or  if  its  growth  is  impeded 
by  any  untoward  condition,  it  will  struggle  to  overcome 
that  condition,  and  no  matter  how  distorted  the  growth 
of  its  form,  it  will  finally  develop  into  the  exact  species 
of  a  tree  oictured  within  the  seed,  even  though  its  out- 
ward form  is  imperfect. 

Therefore,  going  back  to  our  first  simile,  if  the 
stream  of  your  Karma  carries  you  to  the  feet  or  the 
hands,  to  the  brain  or  heart  of  the  Heavenly  Man,  do 
the  duty  that  lies  nearest  you  cheerfully  and  to  the 
best  of  your  ability,  and  diligently  learn  the  lessons 
that  its  perfect  accomplishment  will  teach.  It  is  the 
duty  of  the  feet  to  support  and  carry ;  the  hands  to 
execute;  the  brain  to  plan  and  direct;  the  heart  to 
furnish  the  life-force  to  all  parts ;  but  unless  each  per- 
forms its  duty  in  its  own  place,  and  performs  it  well, 
the  whole  man  must  suffer. 


Th*  Voice  of  Isis 


125 


Let  go  then,  the  things  that  are  holding  you  back. 
Throw  yourself  into  the  stream.  Push  out  into  the 
current  where  you  will  not  get  stranded  in  the  eddies. 
Cease  to  cling  so  desperately  to  the  rocks  and  snags 
against  which  you  are  tossed,  for  they  are  a  sign  of 
shallow  water.  Have  faith  to  believe  that  your  brothers 
and  sisters  are  also  in  the  stream  in  their  proper  place, 
and  are  learning  the  lessons  they  have  incarnated  to 
learn.  Have  faith  that  your  Father-in-heaven  knows 
their  needs  as  well  as  your  own,  and  is  watching  over 
them  as  well  as  you,  and  has  promised  that  "no  good 
thing  will  He  withhold  from  them  that  love  Him." 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE  SELF. 

"I  AM,  the  resurrection,  and  the  life:  he  that 
believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he 
live:  And  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  me 
shall  never  die."  St.  John,  XL  25-26. 

"Saith  the  Great  Law :  'In  order  to  become  the 
knower  of  ALL  SELF,  thou  hast  first  of  SELF 
to  be  the  knower.'  To  reach  the  knowledge  of  that 
SELF,  thou  hast  to  give  up  Self  to  Non-Self,  Be- 
ing to  Non-Being,  and  then  thou  canst  repose  be- 
tween the  wings  of  the  GREAT  BIRD.  .  .  . 
Bestride  the  Bird  of  Life,  if  thou  would'st  know." 
The  Voice  of  the  Silence,  Blavatsky,  Fragment  1. 

The  I  AM  which  is  the  resurrection  and  the  life  is 
the  True  Self. 

We  are  "dead"  when  our  consciousness  is  identified 
with  the  lower  personal  self  and  bounded  by  the  mortal 
body  and  its  functions. 

The  personal  self,  however,  can  be  made  a  good  and 
faithful  servant,  hence  it  is  not  to  be  despised,  killed 
out  and  swallowed  up  in  the  way  so  frequently  inter- 
preted, for  without  it  the  Real  Self  could  not  gain  the 
experiences  of  physical  existence.  It  is  a  garment 
worn  to  protect  the  Real  Self  from  the  coarse  and 
harsh  vibrations  of  physical  life,  just  as  a  diver  dons 
a  diving  suit  to  protect  him  from  the  pressure  of  the 
water  when  he  wishes  to  explore  the  ocean's  depths. 
But  if  it  loses  touch  with  the  Higher  Self  it  is  doomed, 
just  as  is  the  diver  when  he  loses  touch  with  the  upper 
world  and  his  supply  of  air  is  cut  off. 

If  you  are  wedded  to  the  idea  of  the  lower  personal 
self  and  consider  it  all-important  or  all  there  is,  you 
must  reach  a  stage  of  growth  in  which  your  ideals, 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  127 

your  enthusiasm  and  zest  in  life,  which  at  one  time 
gushed  forth  like  a  mountain  freshet,  must  die  or  lose 
themselves  in  the  sands  of  earth  conditions  or  be  dried 
up  by  the  hot  scorching  sun  of  criticism  and  worldly 
disapproval.  But  if  you  bestride  the  Bird  of  Life  or 
hold  for  your  central  idea  the  thought  of  the  I  AM — 
not  the  mere  personality  but  the  Higher,  Divine  Self 
or  The  Christos — even  those  former  ideals  though 
dead,  shall  rise  again,  be  spiritualized  and  never  die. 
Just  as  the  diver,  if  he  holds  fast  to  his  source  of  sup- 
ply, will  be  enabled  to  do  his  work  and  when  it  is 
accomplished,  will  rise  into  the  upper  air  and  take  off 
his  clumsy  accoutrements.  Should  he  think,  however, 
that  the  diving-suit  was  himself,  or  should  he  lose 
his  memory  of  the  higher  world,  he  could  never  rise 
from  the  depths  and  return  to  his  real  home. 

If  in  the  face  of  all  obstacles  you  go  on  trusting  and 
centering  your  ideals  on  the  True  Self  which  is  im- 
mprtal,  your  faith  can  never  die,  for  you  will  know 
that  the  Real  Self  can  never  be  affected  by  the  chang- 
ing conditions  of  earth  life.  This  is  bestriding  the  Bird 
of  Life.  As  long  as  you  hold  firmly  to  this  idea  you 
hold  the  reins  which  shall  guide  the  Bird  of  Life 
throughout  eternity. 

The  I  is  the  only  symbol  in  the  alphabet  that  stands 
both  for  Deity — the  straight  vertical  line  symbolizing 
Spirit  descending  into  matter — and  for  personality.  As 
you  advance  along  the  Path  and  reach  up  through  and 
above  the  personality  and  follow  the  straight  line 
upward  into  Divinity,  the  personality  blends  into  and 
becomes  the  Individuality;1  the  son  becomes  one  with 
the  Father.  The  small  letter  i  symbolizes  the  person- 
ality before  its  spiritual  awakening,  the  self  (perpen- 
dicular line)  overshadowed  by  the  Higher  Self  (the 

1 Individuality,  that  which  is  indivisible.  Personality,  literally  to 
sound  through;  a  vehicle;  a  mask. 


128  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

dot)  who  as  yet  cannot  manifest  on  earth  except  as 
the  germ  of  that  which  the  lower  self  can  reach  up  and 
merge  into.  The  perpendicular  line  must  reach  up 
and  merge  into  the  dot  before  it  can  become  the  I. 

Even  the  materially  minded  recognize  that  the  only 
path  to  worldly  success  is  implicit  faith  and  belief  in 
yourself.  This  is  but  the  lowest  octave  of  the  true 
success  which  results  when  you  raise  your  belief  from 
the  personal  self  to  the  Real  Self.  The  relative  value 
of  the  Real  Self  and  the  personal  self  may  be  repre- 
sented by  a  capital  I  painted  in  gold  upon  a  dark 
shadowy  background  designed  to  make  the  golden  let- 
ter more  conspicuous.  The  personality  must  always  be 
the  shadow  on  earth  of  the  Real  I,  its  office  being  to 
emphasize  and  give  perfect  expression  to  the  Real  Self 
and  make  its  golden  light  stand  out  the  more  brilliantly 
because  of  the  shadow. 

Manifested  life  is  compared  to  the  Great  Bird  (Pa- 
ram-hansa),  for  just  as  a  bird  grows  to  maturity  and 
lays  an  egg  out  of  which  hatches  another  bird,  so  the 
cycles  of  manifestation  emerge  from  the  World-Egg, 
mature  and  deposit  their  laya-c enters  (eggs)  out  of 
which  new  manifestations  (manvantaras)  of  activity 
emerge.  The  winged  globe  and  the  winged  wheel  have 
the  same  symbology,  namely,  that  Time  is  fleeting  but 
is  forever  progressing.  This  symbol  is  often  called  the 
Winged  Eternity,  eternity  only  in  its  eternal  renewal 
of  manifestation.  The  Bird  of  Life  called  Kalahamsa 
or  Black  Swan — black  because  unmanifested — symbol- 
izes the  Higher  or  Divine  Self,  the  "I  AM  THAT  I 
AM."  Hence,  to  "bestride  the  Bird  of  Life"  means 
to  be  master  of  all  the  manifesting  expressions  through 
which  this  great  bird  or  winged  wheel  is  passing,  just 
as  a  rider  must  control  and  master  his  fiery  steed.  Our 
text  therefore  points  out  the  possibility  of  such  mas- 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  129 

tery  and  the  only  way  by  which  it  can  be  attained,  i.  e., 
by  an  understanding  of  the  Self,  merging  the  person- 
ality into  the  Individuality  over  the  straight  line  of 
your  awakened  spiritual  consciousness. 

To  accomplish  this  think  of  yourself  as  one  with  the 
Silent  Thinker,  the  Great  Over-Soul,  the  Self,  the 
Bringer-Forth  of  all  things,  and  swallow  up  the  little 
personal  self  in  this  greater  conception  of  Selfhood. 
Always  think  of  the  Real  Self  as  an  emanation  from 
or  an  expression  of  the  Divine,  of  which  you,  the  per- 
sonal self,  are  but  the  shadow.  While  you  should 
make  the  personal  self  a  perfect  shadow  or  reflection 
of  the  Divine,  still  even  after  that  is  accomplished  it 
must  take  its  proper  place  as  the  humble  servant  of 
the  Self.  If  you  make  a  sincere  effort  to  do  this,  how 
much  of  misery,  of  unhappiness,  of  trouble  will  fall 
away  from  your  life !  As  we  have  said  in  'another 
work,  "O  ye  seekers  for  the  Way!  ...  To  you 
comes  a  message  from  all  the  spheres  through  which 
the  Spirit  of  Life  Eternal  presses  onward  pulsating, 
rising,  falling,  beating  the  outward  form  into  noth- 
ingness, that  the  immortal  Spirit  of  all  things  may 
be  revealed  to  you,  the  Soundless  Sound."  1  What 
does  this  mean,  this  "beating  into  nothingness  ?"  What 
is  this  "outer  form?"  It  is  the  personality,  your  life 
in  the  outer  world.  But  must  all  these  things,  my 
business,  my  pleasures,  my  friendships  be  beaten  into 
nothingness?  Yes,  if  they  so  completely  occupy  your 
attention  that  they  prevent  the  Real  Self  from  mani- 
festing. For  once  you  have  set  out  upon  the  Path  to 
Mastery,  once  having  chosen  to  live  the  Higher  Life, 
you  have  registered  your  desire  and  your  willingness 
to  let  that  Self  manifest  and  all  the  forces  of  the  uni- 
verse work  together  to  fulfill  your  vow.  Therefore, 

1  The  Soundless  Sound,  Curtiss,  p.  9. 


130  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

be  not  amazed  at  anything  that  happens  to  the  little 
self,  but  instead  ask  Why?   Why? 

That  which  holds  you  back  is  the  personal  self.  Al- 
most every  trouble  that  confronts  you  is  centered  in 
this  little  self  and  what  others  think  of  that  self.  Per- 
haps you  are  so  humble  that  you  think  constantly  of 
how  little  you  are  and  dwell  upon  it  so  that  it  is  im- 
possible for  the  Silent  Thinker  to  inspire  you,  per- 
haps to  do  a  great  work.  Perhaps  you  magnify  every 
little  deviation  from  that  conduct  which  you  have  de- 
cided makes  for  spiritual  growth.  Perhaps,  instead  of 
keeping  your  mind  on  your  Higher  Self,  you  are  watch- 
ing to  see  what  others  think  of  your  beliefs,  striving 
to  shape  your  life  to  meet  their  approval  or  trying  to 
live  up  to  what  others  consider  a  spiritual  life  instead 
of  listening  to  the  Silent  Speaker  and  following  your 
own  divine  guidance.  Perhaps  you  are  following  some 
great  ambition,  trying  to  accomplish  some  great  thing 
for  humanity.  Perhaps  some  slight  to  the  little  self 
occupies  your  whole  attention,  perhaps  some  grief. 
There  may  be  many  seemingly  laudable  excuses  given 
for  allowing  the  little  self  to  occupy  the  center  of 
the  stage  in  your  life,  but  whatever  they  are,  if  you 
are  honest  with  yourself,  true  and  serious  in  your  de- 
sire to  be  united  to  the  mind  of  the  Silent  Thinker,  you 
must  admit  that  it  is  self  that  is  occupying  your  at- 
tention and  bringing  about  your  troubles.  This  is 
comparable  to  the  ignorance  of  the  illiterate  person 
who  uses  a  small  letter  i  where  a  capital  I  is  indicated, 
for  the  little  i  is  always  subordinate  and  should  never 
stand  alone.  You  would  not  long  fret  or  worry  if, 
instead  of  focusing  your  attention  upon  the  little  se,lf, 
its  needs,  its  joys,  its  sorrows,  its  slights  or  perhaps 
its  honors,  you  permitted  it  to  be  swallowed  up  in  an 
effort  to  realize  your  Divine  Self,  to  think  of  the  per- 


The  Voice  of  Isis  131 

sonal  self  only  as  a  vehicle  or  expression  or  shadowy 
background  on  the  physical-plane,  of  the  Great  Self, 
the  Higher  Self. 

Many  dream  of  a  grand  work  for  humanity,  but 
the  little  self  sets  boundaries  upon  it  or  decides  what 
the  work  is  to  be,  thus  allowing  many  opportunities 
to  go  by  while  waiting  for  what  they  have  decided  is 
to  mark  the  beginning  of  their  great  work.  While 
the  great  work  which  each  Soul  has  to  accomplish  is 
born  from  the  Higher  Self  it  must  be  accomplished 
through  the  little  self  or  personality.  Hence  the  events 
which  mark  its  beginning  will  be  just  those  which  the 
little  self  can  accomplish  and  by  such  accomplishments 
grow  into  greater  things.  To  sit  with  folded  hands 
for  a  miraculous  beginning  is  just  as  disastrous  as  to 
try  to  use  a  capital  I  where  the  small  i  is  needed.  Again 
it  must  borne  in  mind  that  the  work  of  each  self  will 
be  brought  to  that  personality  by  the  Great  Law,  and 
that  it  will  never  be  another's  work. 

Each  personality  is  in  very  truth  a  ray  from  its 
Higher  Self  but  in  passing  through  earth  conditions  it 
has  become  clouded,  obscured,  distorted,  just  as  a  ray 
of  light  becomes  distorted  by  passing  through  a  dense 
medium.  Therefore  no  person  should  try  to  pattern 
his  life  after  that  of  another  or  after  another's  ideals, 
but  after  the  ideal  life  of  the  Soul  as  set  forth  in  the 
allegorical  life  of  the  Christ-man,  Jesus. 

He  should  take  account  of  his  own  disposition  and 
idiosyncracies  and  seek  to  find  the  original  intent  of 
each  characteristic  or  the  germ  of  good  within  every 
fault.  For  this  reason  "know  thyself"  is  the  watchword 
rather  than  to  pattern  after  another,  be  that  other  ever 
so  godlike.  For  in  the  Grand  Plan,  while  all  are  one  in 
the  unity  of  the  godhead,  still  each  atom  or  personality 
has  its  own  part  to  play  and  is  endowed  with  tendencies 


132  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

and  characteristics  which  when  corrected  and  sublimed 
will  fit  it  to  take  its  own  place,  a  place  no  other  can 
ever  fill.  Since  your  personality  is  the  distorted  image 
of  your  Higher  Self  it  should  be  your  first  duty  to 
straighten  it  out  and  discard  the  awryness  due  to  the 
illusiveness  of  the  medium  through  which  it  is  function- 
ing and  permit  it  truly  to  express  the.  Real  Self.  The 
important  point  to  remember  therefore  is  not  to  copy 
the  actions  of  others  or  try  to  square  your  life  with 
the  ideals  of  others,  but  bravely  seek  deep  within  your 
own  being  for  the  germs  of  action  emplanted  in  the 
personality  by  the  Higher  Self  and  make  the  person- 
ality measure  up  to  the  ideal  given  you  by  your  own 
Higher  Self.  In  other  words  find  yourself,  do  your 
own  thinking  and  live  true  to  your  own  divine  guid- 
ance. 

We  are  wont  to  consider  selfish  those  who  desire  only 
happiness  for  the  self  or  who  refuse  to  let  others  have 
what  they  desire.  We  think  ourselves  very  unselfish  if, 
perchance,  we  strive  to  appear  meek,  seem  humble, 
eager  to  talk  about  our  littleness  and  the  greatness  of 
others  and  to  prefer  others  to  ourselves.  But  the  truth 
is — and  would  we  could  speak  it  in  tones  that  would 
vibrate  from  pole  to  pole — that  it  is  just  as  selfish  to 
permit  your  humility  to  occupy  the  foreground  in  your 
thoughts  and  continually  impose  it  upon  the  thoughts 
of  others  as  to  continually  seek  your  own  pleasure. 
For  even  though  you  are  dwelling  upon  your  own  un- 
worthiness,  nevertheless  it  is  the  little  self  that  is  occu- 
pying your  attention.  The  little  self  is  your  servant 
and  must  be  set  to  work  in  the  vineyard  of  your  life 
and  not  stand  all  day  idle  waiting  for  The  Christ  to 
come  and  give  it  work  in  the  great  vineyard  of  hu- 
manity. 

On  the  other  hand,  many  teachers  gain  a  consid- 
erable following  by  reiterating  their  own  greatness, 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  133 

sanctity  and  claims  to  holiness.  They  talk  much  of 
their  wonderful  experiences,  their  illumination  and 
their  Christ-like  character,  and  followers  like  sheep 
flock  to  them.  But  if  each  Soul  will  do  his  or  her  own 
thinking  such  claims  to  sanctity  will  at  once  arouse 
suspicion,  for  all  scriptures  and  occult  authorities  pro- 
claim in  no  uncertain  way  that  "whosoever  shall  exalt 
himself  shall  be  abased."  The  true  teacher  must  have 
evolved  beyond  the  little  personal  self  and  to  some  ex- 
tent merged  his  consciousness  into  the  Divine,  hence 
neither  seeks  nor  permits  adulation  or  worship  for 
himself,  but  lets  the  Divine  in  him  speak  through  his 
teachings. 

Let  your  deep,  abiding  aims,  your  aspirations,  be 
ever  upward.  In  fact,  bestride  the  Bird  of  Life  and 
soar  into  heavenly  realms.  Forget  to  look  down  to 
earth.  If  you  stumble,  do  not  waste  a  moment's 
thought  over  it,  but  remember  the  lesson  from  it  and 
say :  "I  must  be  up  and  doing.  That  is  past  and  gone 
and  it  shall  not  hold  me  back."  Truly  nothing  can 
hold  you  back  unless  you  hold  to  it.  If  the  Bird  of 
Life  is  chained  to  a  perch  it  cannot  fly.  "It  warbles  not, 
nor  can  it  stir  a  feather;  but  the  songster  mute  and 
torpid  sits,  and  of  exhaustion  dies."  If  you  were 
running  a  race  and  tripped  and  fell,  would  you  waste 
time  carefully  inspecting  the  spot  where  you  fell  and 
wondering  how  it  happened?  No!  you  would  be  up 
and  on,  intent  only  on  reaching  the  goal,  not  even 
conscious  of  the  bruises  you  have  received.  Thus  must 
you  run  this  race  which  ends  in  Mastery.  Be  so  intent 
on  climbing  the  mountain  that  you  have  no  time  to 
think  of  your  hurt  feelings,  no  time  to  sit  and  cry,  no 
time  to  enumerate  either  your  personal  grievances  and 
slights,  or  your  honors  and  exaltations,  no  time  to 
grieve  over  lack  of  appreciation  of  your  efforts  by 
those  around  you. 


134  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

While  you  are  not  to  go  over  and  over  in  your  mind 
the  things  belonging  to  the  little  personal  self,  still 
you  must  not  waste  your  opportunities.  Do  your  full 
duty  in  life,  be  kind,  loving,  just  and  true,  yet  always 
have  your  gaze  fixed  on  high,  and  the  realization  of 
your  oneness  with  the  Real  Self  like  a  thread  of  fire 
forever  penetrating  your  being  and  filling  your  con- 
sciousness. The  little  self  continually  seeks  to  sit  upon 
the  throne  of  the  Higher  Self,  and  when  you  think 
you  have  made  it  the  servant  in  regard  to  earthly 
things,  it  begins  to  assert  itself  on  the  higher  planes 
as  spiritual  selfishness  and  spiritual  pride. 

Determine  that  you  will  not  remain  identified  with 
the  servant  (the  personality)  but  will  identify  yourself 
with  the  Master  (the  Higher  Self). 

This  life  is  but  one  day  in  the  school  of  the  Soul. 
Your  real  life  is  not  at  school  but  at  home  in  your 
Father's  house.  If  things  in  school  do  not  go  just 
as  you  would  have  them,  nevertheless  realize  that 
everything  that  belongs  to  you  or  is  a  part  of  your 
Soul  is  yours  upon  the  Soul-plane.  There  are  many 
expressions  of  the  Soul  and  these  expressions  may 
manifest  in  absolutely  different  ways  upon  the  diff- 
erent planes.  That  which  belongs  to  you  is  yours  upon 
the  Soul-plane,  therefore  accept  it  upon  the  Soul- 
plane,  but  do  not  insist  upon  its  physical  expression 
also  until  the  Great  Law  brings  it  to  you,  for  its  physi- 
cal expression  may  not  be  for  the  personal  self  during 
this  day  at  school.  And  if  it  does  not  belong  to  the 
personal  self,  why  pin  the  Self  down  to  the  little  self 
which,  while  learning  its  lessons  in  school  must  have 
many  of  its  beautiful  possessions  kept  from  it  until 
study  hours  are  over?  You  only  prolong  the  depri- 
vation by  refusing  to  pay  attention  to  your  lessons. 
For  you  thereby  attract  earthly  atoms  which  do  not 


The  Voice  of  Isis  135 

belong  to  the  Real  Self  and  which  must  be  taken  from 
you,  making  the  little  self  bleed  and  suffer.  You  are 
like  a  ship  which,  while  in  the  ocean,  even  if  blown 
temporarily  from  its  course,  is  still  victor  over  cur- 
rents, winds,  tides  and  storms.  But  if  this  same 
ship  anchors  for  a  time  in  ever  so  beautiful  a  harbor 
it  will  become  covered  with  barnacles,  things  that  do 
not  belong  to  it.  And  the  longer  it  lies  there  the 
greater  the  encrustation.  The  only  way  it  can  be  set 
free  is  to  have  the  barnacles  scraped  off — a  painful 
process.  Try  to  understand  and  realize  that  any- 
thing you  cling  to  for  the  mere  gratification  of  the 
personal  self,  no  matter  how  desirable  it  may  seem,  is 
but  a  barnacle  holding  back  your  spiritual  advance. 
Your  Higher  Self  has  now  everything  necessary  for 
its  perfection  and  will  and  must  scrape  off  the  bar- 
nacles ere  it  can  indraw  the  little  self  into  its  own  Di- 
vine Consciousness  and  perfection.  Dwell  then  in  the 
Higher  Self  which  does  not  need  the  physical  expres- 
sions you  desire  but  has  the  Reality  in  the  oneness  of 
the  immortal  Soul  of  All,  forever  in  the  Godhead. 

One  of  the  greatest  temptations  of  those  who  are 
progressing  and  beginning  to  develop  the  higher  con- 
sciousness is  to  think  that  they  have  reached  the  point 
where  the  divine  illumination  of  conscious  oneness  with 
the  Higher  Self  is  soon  to  take  place.  So  instead  of 
merging  their  consciousness  into  the  Divine  they  de- 
velop a  great  spiritual  ambition  for  the  little  self  to 
have  an  experience  which  shall  lift  them  above  their 
fellows  and  give  them  prestige.  This  is  one  of  the 
most  subtle  temptations  of  the  little  self  which  must 
be  carefully  guarded  against. 

You  can  carry  the  burdens  of  the  little  self  only 
along  the  first  steps  on  the  Path.  Long  ere  you  enter 
the  Fourth  Gate x  you  must  have  left  them  behind. 

1  See  Chapter  XXII. 


136  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

Like  Christian  in  Pilgrim's  Progress,  you  must  find 
them  falling  from  your  shoulders  into  the  abyss  and 
be  able  to  let  them  go  without  a  murmur.  The  abyss 
is  the  only  place  for  that  of  the  lower  self  which  can- 
not be  swallowed  up,  digested,  transmuted  and  per- 
mitted to  manifest  under  and  within  the  great  Divine 
Self.  Tear  from  your  eyes  the  bandages  of  darkness 
and  ignorance!  why  will  you  suffer  so  long?  why  put 
between  you  and  all  the  loving  Great  Souls  who  are 
anxious  to  help  you  such  a  barrier,  such  a  tremendous 
barrier  as  this  lower  self  and  its  petty  concerns? 

The  Spirit  within  you  is  immortal,  Divine.  The 
Soul  of  you  is  part  of  the  Soul  of  the  Heavenly  Man, 
and  you  owe  it  to  your  own  Soul  to  work  with  all 
your  powers  for  humanity.  This  you  cannot  do 
while  your  horizon  is  filled  with  the  little  self,  while 
you  remember  that  you  are  a  separate  entity  or  any- 
thing but  an  expression  of  your  true  Higher  Self  who 
is  one  with  Divinity.  The  Real  Self,  being  one  with 
all,  is  concerned  only  that  the  personal  self  learn  the 
lessons  necessary  to  bring  it  into  conscious  at-one- 
ment  with  the  Divine,  hence  refuses  to  be  turned  aside 
from  its  purpose  by  the  little  trials  and  tests  the  per- 
sonal self  has  to  pass  through.  It  sees  only  the  great 
end,  only  the  Divine  Power  working  through  the  little 
selves  and  leading  humanity  up  to  the  Divine.  The 
self  must  become  the  True  Self,  the  Higher  Self. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  DOCTRINE  OF  AVATARA. 

"And,  behold,  I  come  quickly;  and  my  reward 
is  with  me,  to  give  every  man  according  as  his 
work  shall  be.  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  be- 
ginning and  the  end,  the  first  and  the  last." — 
Revelation  XXII.  12-13. 

The  Order  of  the  75  was  put  forth  by  the  Great 
White  Lodge  for  a  definite  work  in  helping  to  pre- 
pare the  way  and  make  a  place  for  the  coming  of  the 
great  World  Teacher,  the  Avatar.  For  ere  such  a 
Divine  Being  can  appear  on  earth  there  must  be  a 
nucleus  formed  of  awakened  Souls  who  not  only 
ardently  long  for  His  advent,  but  who  are  sufficiently 
instructed  in  the  Law  and  developed  through  love, 
to  recognize  Him  when  He  comes.  The  time  has 
now  come  to  give  to  our  pupils  such  further  infor- 
mation concerning  this  great  event  as  the  times  permit. 

"What  is  an  Avatar  ?  for  the  term  being  used  ought 
to  be  well  understood.  It  is  a  descent  of  the  manifested 
Deity,  .  .  .  into  an  illusive  form  of  individual- 
ity, an  appearance  which  to  men  on  this  illusive  plane 
is  objective,  but  it  is  not  so  in  sober  fact.  That  illu- 
sive form  having  neither  past  nor  future,  because  it 
had  neither  previous  incarnation  nor  will  have  sub- 
sequent rebirths,  has  naught  to  do  with  Karma,  which 
has  therefore  no  hold  on  it."1  In  other  words  a  true 
Avatar  is  a  focusing  of  the  universal  cosmic  Christ- 
principle  into  and  through  the  individuality  of  a  Great 
Soul  who  has  reached  divinity — hence  has  no  Karma. 
Such  a  Great  Soul  must  be  an  Initiate  into  the  Mys- 
teries, one  who  has  overcome  and  reached  nirvanic 

1  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky,  Vol.  Ill,  364. 


138  The  Voice  of  Isis 

bliss,  but  who  voluntarily  incarnates  in  the  flesh  for 
the  purpose  of  becoming  a  vehicle  for  an  individual- 
ization  of  The  Christos,  that  it  may  accomplish  a  spe- 
cial definite  mission  in  humanity.  Such  an  one  sac- 
rifices His  life  in  the  spiritual  realms  and  offers  Him- 
self as  a  vehicle  because  of  His  great  love  for  suff- 
ering humanity  and  in  answer  to  its  great  need  for  a 
more  direct  manifestation  of  Divine  Love  and  Wisdom. 
The  whole  doctrine  of  Avatara  is  so  hedged  about 
with  mysteries  whose  elucidation  belongs  to  the  higher 
initiations,  that  only  a  more  or  less  imperfect  out- 
line can  be  given  here.  Generally  speaking,  however, 
an  Avatar  is  not  a  mortal,  but  a  Divine  Being,  who 
descends  from  the  spiritual  realms  and  suddenly  ap- 
pears on  earth  in  a  body  composed  of  atoms  which 
vibrate  to  the  rhythm  of  the  spiritual-plane  and  hence 
are  immortal.  The  Ophites  and  Nazarenes  taught 
that,  'Therefore,  Christos,  the  perfect,1  uniting  him- 
self with  Sophia  (divine  wisdom)  descended  through 
the  seven  planetary  regions,  assuming  in  each  an  anal- 
ogous form  .  .  .  (and)  entered  into  the  man 
Jesus  at  the  moment  of  his  baptism  in  the  Jordan.2 
From  this  time  forth  Jesus  began  to  work  miracles ; 
before  that  time  he  had  been  entirely  ignorant  of  his 
own  mission."  3  This  is  the  true  interpretation  of  the 
symbol  in  which  Jesus  is  said  to  be  born  of  a  virgin, 
i.  e.,  he  descended  from  the  great  Celestial  Virgin, 
Sophia,  as  a  direct  Avatar.  From  the  life  of  Jesus 

1  "The  Western  personification  of  that  power,  which  the  Hindus 
call  the  Vija,  the  'one  seed'  or  Maha- Vishnu — a  power  not  the  God — 
or  that  mysterious  Principle  that  contains  in  Itself  the  Seed  of  Ava- 
tarism." 

!  "The  Baptism  in  the  Jordan  is  the  Rite  of  Initiation,  the  final 
purification,  whether  in  sacred  pagoda,  tank,  river,  or  temple  lake 
in  Egypt  or  Mexico.  The  perfect  Christos  and  Sophia  .  .  .  enter 
the  Initiate  at  the  moment  of  the  mystic  rite,  by  transference  from 
Guru  to  Chela,  and  leave  the  physical  body,  at  the  moment  of  the 
death  of  the  latter,  to  re-enter  the  Nirmanakaya,  or  the  astral  Ego 
of  Adept." — Ibid,  Vol.  III.,  p.  159. 

*Ibid,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  158. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  139 

as  given  in  the  Bible  it  may  be  inferred  that  he  was 
not  a  direct  Avatar,  having  been  born  of  woman. 
Nevertheless  He  was  a  direct  Avatar,  for  that  story 
is  not  a  history  of  His  physical  life,  but  an  allegorical 
account  of  the  Soul-life  of  every  great  Initiate. 

As  above  indicated,  The  Christos  becomes  individ- 
ualized upon  all  planes,  beginning  with  the  highest 
spiritual-plane  and  gradually  descending  to  earth.  In 
the  case  of  the  coming  Avatar  this  individualization 
has  already  reached  the  higher  astral-plane,  the  next 
above  the  earth-plane. 

When  the  mission  of  an  Avatar  requires  an  appear- 
ance upon  the  physical-plane  His  spiritual  body  re- 
sponds to  His  will,  lowers  its  rate  of  vibration  to  the 
key-note  of  the  physical-plane  (somewhat  similar  to 
the  way  steam  can  be  condensed  into  ice),  and  He 
appears  among  men  in  a  body  to  all  intents  physical, 
"an  appearance  which  to  men,  on  this  illusive  plane,  is 
objective,  but  is  not  so  in  sober  fact/'  in  that  it  is 
not  a  mortal  body  confined  to  the  physical-plane  and 
subject  to  death  and  decay.  Such  a  divine  Being  is 
not  born  of  woman,  but  simply  appears  in  a  body 
far  more  glorious,  sensitive  and  powerful  than  any 
mortal  body  could  be.  Such  a  body  can  manifest  upon 
any  plane  of  consciousness  in  response  to  the  will  of 
its  possessor.  Since  such  a  Great  Soul  is  one  with  His 
Father-in-heaven  He  has  all  knowledge  and  all  wisdom, 
hence  would  require  no  earthly  instruction  or  school- 
ing, for  His  consciousness  would  be  one  with  The 
Christ-consciousness,  hence  all-knowing. 

His  manifested  personality  would  transcend  all  ra- 
cial characteristics  and  limitations,  would  be  the  type 
of  perfected  man.  Hence  He  could  not  be  pointed 
out  as  belonging  to  a  particular  Race,  but  would  em- 
body the  perfections  of  all  Races  and  therefore  would 


140  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

not  arouse  the  race-prejudice  of  even  the  most  ad- 
vanced. 

The  appearance  of  an  Avatar  is  determined  by  the 
needs  of  humanity  and  the  manifestation  is  as  great 
as  the  highest  ideals  of  the  most  advanced  of  mankind 
demand.  He  comes  in  answer  to  the  cry  of  many,  many 
hearts  for  more  love  and  light,  for  higher  ideals  and 
for  a  clearer  understanding  of  the  universal  spiritual 
truths  contained  in  the  one  Wisdom  Religion.  As 
more  and  more  hearts  send  up  their  cries  the  demand 
creates  a  vacuum  or  a  negative  vortex  into  which  the 
positive  complementary  force  of  The  Christ-principle 
must  flow  and  find  an  embodied  manifestation  in  hu- 
manity. In  The  Bhagavad  Gita1  Krishna — the  Christ — 
says :  "I  produce  myself  among  creatures,  O  son 
of  Bharata,  whenever  there  is  a  decline  of  virtue  and 
an  insurrection  of  vice  and  injustice  in  the  world;  and 
thus  I  incarnate  from  age  to  age  for  the  preservation 
of  the  just,  the  destruction  of  the  wicked,  and  the  es- 
tablishment of  righteousness."  This  law  is  illustrated 
by  the  popular  saying,  "The  darkest  hour  is  just  be- 
fore the  dawn."  Therefore,  when  we  find  that  hu- 
manity has  reached  a  point  of  great  spiritual,  mental 
and  social  unrest,  during  which  the  established  and 
recognized  spiritual  teachers  have  gotten  so  far  away 
from  their  true  spiritual  guidance  that  the  great  mass 
of  humanity  are  like  sheep  without  a  shepherd,  and 
are  sending  out  their  heart-cries  without  ceasing, 
What  is  Truth?  Who  shall  show  us  the  Way?  "How 
long,  O  Lord,  how  long?"  this  cry  must  bring  forth 
its  answer.  In  other  words,  when  the  enlightened 
thought  of  the  day  recognizes — as  it  does  today — that 
its  spiritual  teachers  are  no  longer  in  personal  touch 
with  the  higher  realms  and  are  no  longer  divinely 

1  Chapter  IV. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  141 

called,  guided  and  appointed  to  their  offices,  a  new 
regime  is  demanded.  When  the  ceremonies  employed 
and  the  sacraments  administered  by  priests  and  min- 
isters no  longer  carry  divine  potency,  it  is  time  for  a 
true  priesthood  to  be  established.  When  the  covenant 
of  marriage  is  no  longer  a  sacred  sacrament,  but  has 
degenerated  into  the  mere  recital  of  a  few  words  be- 
fore one  who  has  no  spiritual  power  to  discern  whether 
or  not  the  man  and  woman  belong  to  each  other  spirit- 
ually— as  all  divinely  ordained  priests  have — and  when 
through  such  ignorance  the  resulting  mistaken  mar- 
riages degrade  the  Divine  Creative  Power  into  mere 
sex  gratification,  impurity  and  lust,  then  there  must 
com€  a  fresh  outpouring  of  Divine  Love,  Purity  and 
Wisdom.  For  there  is  never  a  sincere  prayer  uttered  \ 
by  the  children  of  men  that  does  not,  by  the  very  law 
of  the  universe,  create  its  answer.  Neither  social,  po-  / 
litical  nor  economic  injustice  and  inharmony  can  ever 
be  truly  adjusted  and  regulated  and  graft  abolished 
until  the  divinely  appointed  priesthood,  who  are  un- 
der personal  conscious  direction  of  the  Progenitors 
and  Guides  of  the  Race,  is  re-established.  The  ques- 
tion of  the  marriage  sacrament  alone  demands  a  di- 
vinely appointed  and  trained  body  of  spiritual  teach- 
ers— a  true  priesthood — who  have  the  power  to  know 
who  should  partake  of  that  sacrament  together  and 
who  should  not.  If  there  were  no  other  need  in  hu- 
manity for  an  Avatar  this  alone  would  be  suffcient  to 
call  one  into  manifestation,  that  a  new  order  of  true 
priests  of  the  Lord  or  the  Divine  Law  might  be  es- 
tablished. But  there  are  many  other  crying  needs  ex- 
pressed in  present-day  social,  economic  and  political 
conditions,  as  well  as  the  awakening  of  many,  many 
hearts  to  the  need  of  more  direct  spiritual  teach- 
ings. Hence  all  the  signs  of  the  times  point  to  the 


142  The  Voice  of  Isis 

necessity  for  a  fresh  outpouring  of  Divine  Love  and 
Wisdom  in  this  present  age. 

As  the  Avatar  descends  through  the  higher  worlds 
and  draws  near  the  earth-plane,  all  hearts  who  are 
open  to  His  influence  or  respond  to  the  key-note  of 
His  message  come  into  more  or  less  conscious  touch 
with  Him  interiorally  through  the  illuminating  power 
of  His  Divine  consciousness  and  feel  an  unquenchable 
desire  and  an  irresistible  urge  to  purify,  uplift  and 
make  more  harmonious  that  phase  of  work  for  hu- 
manity in  which  they  are  interested.  And  today  all 
classes,  types  and  conditions  of  mind  are  feeling  the 
influence  of  a  great  spiritual  awakening  which  is  giv- 
ing them  a  greater  vision,  a  greater  realization  of  the 
needs  of  humanity  and  the  possibility  of  their  filling  a 
wider  range  of  usefulness  and  accomplishing  greater 
results.  And  this  no  matter  whether  they  are  more 
or  less  blindly  following  the  urge  to  do  good  along 
philanthropic,  humanitarian,  sociological  or  political 
lines  of  endeavor,  or  whether  they  are  occultists  who 
understand  the  Law  and  are  working  more  or  less 
consciously  under  the  inspiration  and  direction  of 
those  Great  Souls,  the  Masters  of  Wisdom,  whose 
Love,  Wisdom  and  Power  is  back  of  and  working 
through  every  effort  for  the  betterment  of  the  Race 
in  direct  proportion  to  the  ability  of  the  various  chan- 
nels to  assimilate  and  make  use  of  Their  help. 

An  Avatar  then  is  the  focusing  and  embodiment 
of  the  same  Christ-principle  that  has  manifested  in  all 
ages  in  all  Avatars,  each  of  whom  thus  became  The 
Christ  for  the  age  in  which  He  appeared.  Each  direct 
descent  of  Deity  into  physical  embodiment,  however, 
is  preceded  by  many  lesser  and  incomplete  manifesta- 
tions called  Avesha  Avatars.  In  these  cases  an  ad- 
vanced Soul  who  has  not  yet  reached  full  Mastery,  but 


The  Voice  of  Isis  143 

who  is  sufficiently  pure,  loving  and  compassionate,  is 
chosen  and  overshadowed  by  The  Christ-principle  for 
a  certain  time  and  for  a  certain  purpose.  In  every 
organization,  society,  order  or  movement  working 
along  truly  spiritual,  occult  or  mystic  lines,  there  will 
be  certain  advanced  members  who  will  be  able  to 
reach  up  into  the  spiritual  realm  and  come  into  con- 
scious communion  with  the  Avatar.  From  these  ad- 
vanced Souls  one  who  is  especially  pure,  gifted,  well- 
trained  and  worthy,  will  be  chosen  as  the  mouthpiece 
through  whom  the  message  of  the  Avatar  will  be  given 
out  to  his  particular  society  or  movement.  It  is  nec- 
essary, however,  that  this  vehicle  be  capable  of  re- 
ceiving and  transmitting  as  much  of  the  Divine  Wis- 
dom, in  its  purity,  as  the  stage  of  evolution  and  de- 
gree of  spiritualization  of  his  bodies  is  capable  of  ex- 
pressing. Hence  such  a  vehicle  must  be  carefully 
trained,  disciplined  and  prepared  that  his  faculties  and 
powers  may  reach  their  greatest  perfection.  In  each 
case  the  chosen  one  is  a  Christ  only  during  the  period 
of  the  overshadowing,  at  all  other  times  being  but  the 
human  and  mortal  personage.  Not  that  there  is  any 
limit  to  possible  revelation,  for  the  overshadowing  is 
always  The  Christos  which  is  not  a  being,  but  that 
Essence  of  Divinity  which  is  Everlasting  Law,  Ever- 
lasting Wisdom,  the  Essence  of  Truth  from  the  begin- 
ning, from  everlasting  to  everlasting.  Jesus  speaks 
of  this  overshadowing  Power  as  "the  Comforter"  and 
tells  His  disciples  that  it  is  expedient  for  Him  to  go 
away  that  the  Comforter  might  come.  This  simply 
means  that,  being  the  Avatar,  He  condensed  or  focused 
The  Christos  in  Himself  which  at  His  departure  would 
be  perceived  by  mankind  apart  from  its  manifestations 
through  His  personality  and  shine  in  every  heart  pre- 
pared to  correlate  with  it.  "But  the  Comforter,  which 


144  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

is  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my 
name,  he  shall  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  all  things 
to  your  remembrance,  whatsoever  I  have  said  unto 
you." 

In  other  words  each  truly  spiritual,  pure  and  sincere 
society  and  movement  will  have  some  illumined  Soul 
who  will  be  an  Avesha  Avatar  to  that  society  or  move- 
ment to  prepare  his  followers  for  the  coming  of  the 
Avatar,  as  John  the  Baptist  prepared  the  Hebrews 
for  the  coming  of  Jesus.  No  doubt  in  many  instances 
such  an  Avesha  Avatar  will  be  considered  by  his  fol- 
lowers to  be  the  Avatar  in  person.  But  this  is  easily 
determined  if  you  remember  that  an  Avatar  is  not  a 
mortal.  When  such  a  claim  is  made  for  any  human 
being,  however  great  or  wise,  you  may  know  that  he 
could  not  be  more  than  an  Avesha  Avatar  and  be 
mortal.  Nevertheless  the  essence  of  his  message 
would  be  that  of  the  Avatar,  for  water  is  still  water 
whether  measured  by  a  thimbleful  or  by  an  ocean. 
Furthermore,  if  he  be  a  pure  and  enlightened  Avesha, 
he  will  not  only  refuse  the  title  of  Avatar,  but  will 
exclaim  with  John  the  Baptist :  "One  mightier  than  I 
cometh,  the  latchet  of  whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to 
unloose."  He  will  also  discountenance  all  adulation  and 
personal  worship.  The  characteristics  of  his  teach- 
ings will  include  not  only  the  much  abused  "uni- 
versal brotherhood"  but  also  the  true  tolerance  that 
arises  from  a  recognition  of  the  divine  guidance  of 
other  teachers  and  Aveshas.  For  one  evidence  of  a 
true  Avesha  must  be  a  recognition  of  the  divine  mis- 
sion of  others. 

Necessarily  the  messages  of  the  various  Avesha 
Avataras  will  differ  in  details,  methods  of  presenta- 
tion, etc.,  for  the  ability  of  such  a  channel  to  give 
out  the  teaching  depends  upon  such  factors  as  the 


The  Voice  of  Isis  145 

line  of  endeavor  he  is  interested  in,  his  race-thought, 
his  mental  and  spiritual  capacity,  his  habits  of  life, 
his  knowledge  of  the  laws  and  philosophy  of  the 
higher  life  and  the  intellectual  training  his  mind — 
through  which  all  the  teachings  must  pass — has  re- 
ceived. In  this  way  the  members  of  every  Society  and 
movement  shall  hear  the  divine  truths  spoken  in  their 
own  language  wherein  they  were  born,  i.  e.,  couched 
in  the  terminology,  symbols  and  characteristic  methods 
of  expression  peculiar  to  their  own  avenue  of  truth. 
Thus  all  classes  of  humanity  will  be  given  the  oppor- 
tunity to  do  their  part  in  preparing  for  the  coming 
of  the  Great  One  by  forming  an  universal  Center  in 
which  He  can  manifest.  This  does  not  necessarily 
mean  a  Center  in  the  sense  of  a  segregated  commu- 
nity, but  an  universal  Center  in  the  thought-world 
from  which  the  currents  of  force  will  radiate  that 
shall  affect  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  whole 
world.  Each  Avesha  Avatara  will  no  doubt  found 
a  community  for  his  own  followers  and  out  of 
each  community  there  must  ultimately  be  chosen 
those  advanced  disciples  who  have  been  able  to 
recognize  The  Christ  "in  the  air"  or  on  the  higher 
planes  and  hence  are  able  to  recognize  Him  when  He 
manifests  in  the  flesh.  These  will  be  gathered  together 
to  be  His  immediate  disciples  and  body-guard.  The 
Avatar  will  not  come  to  any  one  society,  movement, 
order  or  sect,  but  will  come  to  humanity.  His  truths 
will  be  so  divine  and  perfect,  yet  so  simple,  unbiased 
and  unprejudiced  by  the  characteristics  of  any  cult, 
that  they  will  be  equally  applicable  to  all,  no  matter 
what  their  Race,  creed  or  special  trend  of  thought 
may  be. 

We  have  in  the  Gospel  of  St.  John,  in  language  so 
simple  as  to  be  a  complete  and  incomprehensible  blind 


146  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

to  all  but  the  initiated,  the  whole  doctrine  of  the  Ava- 
tara.  We  read :  "In  the  beginning  was  the  Word  (The 
Christos)  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word 
was  God,"  God  in  that  it  was  and  is  the  totality  of 
Spiritual  Wisdom,  the  creative  Word,  the  manifested 
Christ.  "The  same  was  in  the  beginning  with  God. 
All  things  were  made  by  him;  ...  In  him  was 
life;  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men."  The  Christ- 
principle  is  the  essence  of  Divine  Life  without  which 
there  can  be  no  life,  and  being  Divine  this  life  is  "the 
light  of  men"  and  is  distinct  from  mere  animal  life 
which  is  but  the  outward  and  densest  covering  of  Di- 
vine Essence.  "And  the  light  shineth  in  the  darkness ; 
and  the  darkness  comprehended  it  not,"  i.  e.,  it  is  hid- 
den in  a  human  body.  These  verses  also  bear  testimony 
that  this  Light  of  the  Christos  is  once  more  to  be  man- 
ifested in  humanity  as  it  has  been  manifested  periodi- 
cally "from  the  beginning."  This  is  but  another  and 
more  compact  statement  of  a  deep  esoteric  truth,  and 
a  most  sacred  mystery,  which  has  filled  volume  after 
volume  in  more  ancient  scriptures. 

In  all  religions  now  on  earth  there  is  an  exoteric 
or  public  and  an  inner  or  secret  teaching.  Something 
analogous  is  true  of  the  manifested  Christos ;  it  has  its 
exoteric  manifestations  and  its  inner  Essence.  Here- 
tofore, in  every  manifestation  of  an  Avatar,  it  has 
been  the  outer  covering,  as  it  were,  of  this  Power  that 
has  manifested  through  the  vehicle ;  and  even  this  has 
been  more  than  humanity  could  grasp  or  understand. 
In  the  coming  Avatar  will  be  manifested  more  of  the 
inner  Essence  of  The  Christ  than  has  ever  before  been 
possible,  because  thousands  in  the  world  today  are 
shaking  off  the  garments  of  their  dense  materialized 
conceptions  of  life  and  are  responding  to  the  higher 
spiritual  ideals. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  147 

Every  Great  Teacher,  such  as  Zoroaster,  Gautama, 
Jesus,  etc.,  has  founded  a  new  religion  or  at  most, 
a  new  expression  of  the  One  Religion.  They  have 
all  taught  the  Wisdom  Religion,  but  in  ways  which 
appealed  to  the  different  peoples  to  which  they  came. 
While  each  of  those  Great  Teachers  has  taken  the 
world  a  step  onward  and  emphasized  some  one  phase 
of  Divine  Truth,  still  they  have  founded  but  larger 
sects,  rather  than  brought  the  world  into  one  Univer- 
sal Brotherhood.  The  Christian  religion  is  universally 
acknowledged  to  be  the  greatest  factor  in  modern 
civilization,  and  the  time  has  now  come  for  it  to  take 
an  advanced  step  through  the  awakening  of  a  sense 
of  the  deep,  underlying,  vital  truths  common  to  all 
religions  in  the  hearts  of  all  earnest  seekers  among 
Christian  people;  thus  taking:  the  first  step  on  the 
return  journey  to  the  one  Wisdom  Religion. 

There  are  many  prophecies  in  the  Bible,  and  else- 
where, relating  to  the  Avatar  who  closes  this  cycle, 
which  have  never  been  fulfilled  in  any  sense.  The  Book 
of  Revelation  is  distinctly  a  history  of  the  preparation 
for  the  coming  of  such  an  Avatar.  In  it  is  allegori- 
cally  set  forth  all  that  must  occur  in  the  world  dur- 
ing an  avataric  cycle.  A  careful  study  of  this  book 
will  prove  trfat  it  contains  teachings  identical  with 
the  above,  as  well  as  with  those  of  all  ancient  revela- 
tions pertaining  to  the  Mysteries.  This  will  easily  be 
understood  if  the  student  will  remember  that  the 
Bible  covers  the  whole  period  of  an  avataric  cycle,  i.  e., 
from  the  first  coming  to  the  reappearance  of  the  Avatar 
at  the  close  of  the  cycle.  Jesus,  speaking  of  The  Christ- 
principle  within  Him,  said,  "I  am  Alpha  and  Omega, 
the  beginning  and  the  ending,  .  .  .  which  is,  and 
which  was,  and  which  is  to  come,  the  Almighty,"  1  a 


148  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

most  blasphemous  assertion  if  referring  to  His  human 
personality.  This  emphasizes  the  fact  that  it  was  not 
the  man  Jesus,  but  The  Christos  that  manifested,  and 
that  it  was  the  same  Power  in  all  ages  and  in  all  mani- 
festations, and  that  the  same  Divine  Power  which 
manifested  through  the  personality  called  Jesus  will  be 
the  Power  to  manifest  through  the  Avatar  who  closes 
this  Messianic  cycle  and  plants  the  seed  for  the  new. 
But  instead  of  this  return  being  merely  the  founding 
of  new  religion  or  sect, — humanity,  having  passed  the 
lowest  point  of  the  downward  arc  of  the  cycle  and 
begun  laboriously  to  climb  the  upward  arc — the  com- 
ing Avatar  must  fulfill  the  prophecies  already  given, 
bring  to  earth  as  much  as  the  Divine  Wisdom  as  hu- 
manity can  attain  to  by  the  end  of  the  sixth  and  sev- 
enth sub-races,  and  plant  the  seed  for  the  future  Sixth 
Great  Race,  whose  manifestation  will  usher  in  the 
Golden  Age. 

The  time  of  His  coming  cannot  be  given  out ;  but  it 
will  be  in  exact  accord  with  the  astronomical  and 
numerical  cycles  hinted  at  elsewhere.  Moreover,  all 
who  will  be  drawn  into  the  coming  Brotherhood  will 
find  that  they  are  in  some  mysterious  way  connected 
with  the  secret  cycles  of  the  Messiah.  The  Avatar 
cannot  come  until  the  cycle  is  fulfilled ;  until  the  stars 
are  in  their  proper  positions.  As  we  said  in  a  former 
lesson : 

"It  is  a  fact  that  the  creative  force  flows  in  cyclic 
waves,  and  in  a  cycle  corresponding  closely  to  a  cen- 
tury of  earth  life.  The  ebb  and  flow  of  this  great 
force  is  first  downward.  The  first  quarter  of  the 
century  it  passes  from  the  spiritual  world  into  the 
mental  and  psychic ;  the  second  quarter  down  into  the 
physical,  and  then,  in  the  last  half  of  the  century,  back 
again  into  the  spiritual-plane,  following  the  reverse 


The  Voice  of  Isis  149 

order.  But  the  deductions  that  have  been  drawn  from 
these  facts  by  some,  are  arbitrary  and  misleading. 

"As  the  force  descends  from  the  spiritual-plane 
into  psychic  in  the  first  quarter  of  the  century  (1  to  25), 
it  causes  great  creative  activity  in  the  psychic  and 
mental  worlds,  and  the  Masters  take  advantage  of 
this  fact  to  work  with  the  tide.  Consequently  all 
those  who  have  developed  their  faculties  so  they  can 
reach  the  higher  psychic-plane  can  meet  the  Masters 
upon  that  plane  (not  upon  the  astral)  and  can  benefit 
correspondingly  by  the  great  activity  of  that  period. 

"Later,  during  the  second  quarter  of  the  century  (25 
to  50),  the  force  descends  into  the  physical  world  and 
touches  the  lowest  point  of  its  arc;  but  it  is  still  spir- 
itual creative  force.  The  natural  deduction  from  this 
is,  therefore,  that  the  first  quarter  of  the  century  .(1  to 
25)  is,  most  emphatically,  the  planting  and  growing 
time,  corresponding  to  the  springtime  of  the  year.  It 
would  be  during  this  quarter  of  the  century  that  an 
Avatar  would  first  manifest  Himself  to  His  more  ad- 
vanced disciples  and  plant  in  their  hearts  the  seed  of 
His  teachings. 

"The  second  quarter  of  the  century  (25  to  50)  cor- 
responds to  summer ;  the  time  when  this  spiritual  crea- 
tive force,  having  penetrated  to  the  earth-plane,  must 
bring  forth  its  fruit  upon  that  plane.  Whatever  has 
been  planted  must  bring  forth  its  fruit,  provided  it 
has  been  a  fruitful  season ;  that  is,  providing  the  work 
has  been  faithfully  done  and  the  spring  growth  care- 
fully nurtured.  Should  this  part  of  the  cycle  of  the 
century  coincide  with  certain  greater  cycles,  it  would 
be  possible  at  this  period  for  the  Avatar  to  manifest 
openly  among  men,  He  being  the  fruit  of  the  culmin- 
ating cycles.  The  Master  Jesus  was  spoken  of  as  'The 
first  fruits  of  them  that  slept/  the  word  'slept'  in- 


150  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

dicating  not  in  manifestation.  Should  the  Avatar  come, 
the  result  of  His  teachings,  and  His  contact  with  the 
earth  would  mature  during  this  period.  At  the  end 
of  this  quarter  of  the  century  the  force,  having  reached 
its  lowest  point,  would  turn  upward,  and  His  teach- 
ings would  raise  humanity  with  it. 

"The  third  quarter  (50  to  75)  corresponds  to  the 
autumn  when  the  fruit  is  harvested;  when  'we  which 
are  alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  together  with 
them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air;  and 
so  shall  we  be  ever  with  the  Lord/  ' 

"The  last  quarter  (75  to  100)  corresponds  to  the 
winter  time,  when  the  ground  is  frozen.  At  that  time, 
after  the  harvest  has  been  gathered  and  the  spiritual 
forces  indrawn  and  the  world  has  again  fallen  away 
from  the  true  teachings,  it  becomes  necessary  for  The 
Lodge  of  Masters  again  to  send  out  an  agent,  or 
agents,  on  the  physical-plane,  to  break  the  ground  and 
prepare  for  the  new  springtime.  At  such  a  time  much 
of  the  activity  of  The  Lodge  is  directed  to  the  physical- 
plane  through  physical  embodiments. 
.  .  .  .  "Consequently  these  early  years  of  the 
century  are  pregnant  with  power.  As  the  years  go 
on  this  Great  Creative  Force  of  Love  must  be  brought 
down  to  earth  by  those  who  can  receive  it;  for  only 
as  we  are  able  to  reach  up  into  the  higher  psychic 
realm,  and  there  meet  and  correlate  with  the  Great 
Teachers,  is  it  possible  to  prepare  for  the  coming  to 
earth  of  the  Fruit,  or  the  embodied  power  of  The 
Christ-force,  in  the  person  of  the  Avatar  whose  com- 
ing the  culminating  of  many  cycles  now  makes  pos- 
sible. 'And  then  shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of 
Man  in  heaven/  1  Already  the  Watchers  have  seen 
The  Christ-star — the  star  that  has  announced  to  all 

1  St.  Matthew  XXIV,  20. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  151 

wise  men,  in  all  ages,  the  appearance  of  an  Avatar. 
Consequently  we  believe  that  the  Avatar  will  soon 
come,  not  in  a  physical  body  born  of  woman,  but 
in  a  more  ethereal  or  spiritual  body,  capable,  never- 
theless, of  appearing  objectively  as  a  physical  body  as 
occasion  demands. 

"Instead  of  this  being  a  time  to  sit  down  and  con 
old  lessons,  it  is  time  to  be  up  and  doing ;  but  on  lines 
altogether  different  from  those  suitable  to  the  period 
of  the  breaking  of  the  ground  and  the  sowing  of  the 
seed.  This  is  why  The  Order  of  the  15  is  now  put 
forth ;  to  enable  all  who  are  ready,  to  grow  to  the  point 
where  they  can,  through  special  instruction,  come  into 
personal  touch  with  the  Masters  and  the  Avatar." 

"It  is  asserted  by  many  advanced  thinkers  that  the 
present  wave  of  pyschic  unrest  is  a  sign  of  the  near 
advent  of  the  Avatar,  and  that  a  widespread  develop- 
ment of  psychic  faculties  will  usher  in  His  coming. 
This  is,  indeed,  a  sign  of  the  coming;  but  it  is  not 
strictly  correct  to  say  that  it  will  be  the  the  character- 
istic; for,  although  there  will  be  a  period  of  great 
psychic  activity  (not,  however,  due  to  new  senses, 
but  to  the  use  of  the  present  faculties  upon  the  inner 
planes)  it  will  but  serve  to  prove  that  mere  psychic 
development  is  not  the  end  to  be  desired.  'Behold, 
the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord  God,  that  I  will  send 
a  famine  in  the  land,  not  a  famine  of  bread,  nor  a 
thirst  for  water,  but  of  hearing  the  words  of  the 
Lord:  And  they  shall  wander  from  sea  to  sea,  and 
from  north  even  to  the  east,  they  shall  run  to  and  fro 
to  seek  the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  shall  not  find  it.1 
The  spiritual  understanding  of  the  people  shall  be 
darkened  and  they  shall  wander  from  sea  to  sea  seek- 
ing  the  word  of  the  Lord.  Today  many  are  running 

1  Concerning  Various  Misconceptions.     Now  out  «f  print. 


152  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

to  and  fro  after  self-advertised  teachers,  seeking  to 
develop  their  psychic  faculties.  And  many  who  have 
begun  to  use  these  faculties  on  even  the  lowest  stratum 
of  the  astral-plane  set  themselves  up  as  teachers  or 
write  books  giving  the  world  minute  directions  cov- 
ering the  whole  field  of  thought  and  action,  from 
the  feeding  of  their  animal  bodies  to  the  attainment  of 
Adeptship.  With  the  fragments  of  knowledge  thus 
obtained  such  teachers  claim  that  every  other  psychic 
who  has  gleaned  a  few  different  fragments  is  wrong. 
This  psychic  awakening,  conflict  and  confusion  will 
come  as  the  first  step  in  a  wonderful  wave  of  activity 
in  all  walks  of  life,  tending  to  extreme  selfishness  and 
unbrotherliness ;  for  each  will  claim  the  Truth  and 
start  sect  after  sect,  and,  like  a  pack  of  wolves  tear- 
ing a  carcass  in  pieces,  each  one  will  be  ready  to  fight 
to  the  death  to  maintain  and  guard  his  bone  against 
the  whole  pack.  Then  shall  begin  'wars  and  rumours 
of  wars'  and  the  struggle  for  supremacy.  'Now  the 
brother  shall  betray  the  brother  to  death,  and  the 
father  the  son ;  and  children  shall  rise  up  against 
their  parents,  and  shall  cause  them  to  be  put  to  death.'1 
This  will  be  but  the  beginning  of  the  end;  and  the 
prospect  would  be  hopeless,  indeed,  did  we  not  know 
that  out  of  those  who  'run  to  and  fro,'  one  by  one 
there  will  come  the  few  who  will  open  their  spiritual 
faculties,  sweep  away  the  mists  of  prejudice,  and  see 
the  Light  of  The  Christos  shining  in  their  brother's 
heart.  These  few  will  band  together  to  help  spread 
the  Light  rather  than  to  increase  the  confusion ;  and 
thev  will  be  the  remnant  who  will  survive  the  physical 
catastrophes  and  usher  in  the  golden  period  of  the 
present  Kali  Yuga  age.  These  will  not  seek  the  King- 
dom through  psychic  development,  but,  through  the 

1  St.  Mark  XIII     12. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  153 

awakening  of  their  love  and  compassion,  they  will 
find  The  Christ-light  illumining  their  hearts  and 
opening  all  the  psychic  doors  normally  and  without 
effort.  "  These  will  be  the  144,000  who  will  'meet  the 
Lord  in  the  air,'  i.  e.,  in  the  higher  spiritual-plane  to 
which  they  can  penetrate  because  of  the  love  and  com- 
passion developed.  Only  when  The  Christ-love  has 
manifested  and  has  thus  awakened  the  hearts  of  a  con- 
siderable number  of  disciples  can  a  center  be  formed 
in  which  this  power  can  be  focused  and  individualized 
in  the  person  of  the  coining  Avatar."  * 

When  the  birth  of  Jesus  was  announced,  it  was 
only  after  a  particular  Angel  had  announced  The 
Christ  that  the  angelic  hosts  of  heaven  joined  in  the 
chorus.  So  today  all  who  are  faithfully  guarding  their 
flocks  upon  the  mountain  top  will  first  hear  the  an- 
nouncement and  then  the  response. 

The  Order  of  the  15  is  put  forth  in  an  effort  to 
awaken  The  Christ-love  in  hearts  of  men,  rather  than 
to  cater  to  the  intellect  or  the  desire  for  psychic  devel- 
opment. For  only  those  who  can  correlate  with  this 
Christ-power  can  be  gathered  together  as  His  disci- 
ples. The  aim  of  this  Movement  is  especially  to  help 
all  Christian  people  to  find  the  deep,  underlying  vital 
truths  common  to  all  religions  in  their  own,  and  thus 
truly,  and  in  the  only  way  possible,  prepare  for  an 
Universal  Brotherhood  on  earth  in  which  each  Soul 
shall  find  the  same  vital  truths  spoken  in  his  own 
language,  i.  e.}  couched  and  taught  in  terms  of  the 
religion  in  which  he  was  born.2  This  is  the  only 
real  way  of  bringing  about  Brotherhood.  For  to 
dream  of  a  Brotherhood  in  which  all  classes  of  hu- 

1  Since  the  above  was  written  (1908)  many  of  the  prophecies  have 
been  fulfilled,  as  even  a  superficial  study  of  the  signs  of  the  times 
will  show. 

*  3ee  Acts  II,  6. 


154  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

manity  and  all  varieties  of  race-thought  are  forced  to 
flow  in  one  direction  and  accept  as  final  Truth  couched 
in  one  set  form — no  matter  how  lofty  the  form  or 
how  beautiful  its  trend — is  but  a  fantastic  chimera 
born  of  the  human  mind,  and  whose  attempted  prac- 
tical establishment  has  always  ended,  and  always  will 
end,  in  confusion,  antagonism,  and  unbrotherliness 
far  more  intense  than  before  the  attempt  was  made. 
It  is  only  by  touching  the  deep,  underlying  springs  of 
Universal  Love  that  Universal  Brotherhood  can  be 
attained.  Therefore,  we  ask  one  and  all  to  seek  to 
develop  The  Christ-love  in  their  hearts,  remembering 
that  only  when  it  shows  in  their  lives  and  makes 
them  more  Christ-like,  can  it  be  said  to  have  germin- 
ated. A  seed  may  lie  dormant  for  ages,  but  the  instant 
it  opens  its  heart  to  the  life  of  the  sun  it  begins  to 
grow.  So  it  is  with  The  Christ-seed.  The  Christ-light 
is  in  every  man,  but  we  can  say  the  Christ-star  has 
arisen  only  when  it  shines  forth  and  illumines  our 
daily  life.  The  Christ-love  is  a  consuming  fire,  and 
all  fire  spreads.  If  the  life  remains  cold  and  dark 
and  selfish  the  Fire  is  not  yet  lit.  This  is  the  first  step 
toward  Universal  Brotherhood,  for  when  we  find  The 
Christ  in  our  own  hearts  we  seek  for  it  in  every  other 
heart. 


CHAPTER  XL 

A  STUDY  OF  REINCARNATION  OR  REBIRTH. 

"He  asked  his  disciples,  saying,  Whom  do  men 
say  that  I,  the  Son  of  man  am?  And  they  said, 
Some  say  that  thou  art  John  the  Baptist:  some, 
Elias;  and  others,  Jeremias,  or  one  of  the 
prophets."— St.  Matthew,  XVI.  13-14. 

When  the  old  teaching  of  reincarnation  was  re- 
vived in  the  Western  world,  it  was  necessary  to  bring 
to  bear  all  the  powers  of  logic  to  prove  its  reasonability, 
and  its  ancient  and  world-wide  acceptance.  Today 
this  truth  has  permeated  all  classes  of  society,  filling 
the  world's  literature  and  furnishing  the  motif  for 
many  successful  stage  productions — thus  proving  that 
the  public  is  eager  for  the  subject.  This  itself  is  an  evi- 
dence of  rebirth,  for  what  else  can  this  widely  re- 
newed interest  in  the  subject  be  but  a  reincarnation  of 
an  ancient  world-wide  belief?  For  detailed  proofs 
of  its  reasonability  we  refer  the  student  to  other 
authorities.1 

Like  many  other  things  that  are  true  and  gener- 
ally accepted,  proof  that  would  convince  all  is  out  of 
the  question,  for  what  is  proof  to  one  is  not  to  an- 
other. For  instance,  a  spiritualist  might  say  that, 
if  he  had  lived  before,  something  might  be  given  him 
by  discarnate  entities  about  a  former  life  that  could 
be  verified  by  historical  records.  This  would  be  no 
proof  at  all,  for  it  would  be  an  easy  matter  for  any 
discarnate  entity  capable  of  communicating,  to  secure 
the  information  from  any  records  accessible  to  the 
investigator.  As  far  as  absolute  proof  goes  each  one 

1  Reincarnation,  Walker.  Reincarnation  and  the  Law  of  Karma, 
Atkinson.  Reincarnation,  Anderson. 


156  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

must  take  this  law  as  he  takes  many  other  laws — upon 
its  reasonability.  If  it  fails  in  this  or  in  its  ability 
to  afford  a  rational  explanation  for  the  many  discrep- 
ancies of  life  which  are  otherwise  unexplainable,  he 
is  at  liberty  to  reject  it.  But  for  those  who  do  accept 
it  we  will  make  an  effort  to  remove  some  of  the  mis- 
conceptions and  clear  up  some  of  the  vagaries  which, 
like  barnacles,  have  attached  themselves  to  this  truth. 

"Intimately,  or  rather  inclissolubly,  connected  with 
Karma,  is  the  law  of  Re-birth,  or  of  the  reincarnation 
of  the  same  spiritual  Individuality  in  a  long,  almost 
interminable,  series  of  Personalities.  The  latter  are 
like  the  various  characters  played  by  the  same  actor, 
with  each  of  which  the  actor  identifies  himself  and  is 
identified  by  the  public,  for  the  space  of  a  few  hours. 
The  inner,  or  Real  Man,  who  personates  those  char- 
acters, knows  the  whole  time  that  he  is  Hamlet  only 
for  the  brief  space  of  a  few  acts,  which,  however,  on 
the  plane  of  human  illusion,  represent  the  whole  life 
of  Hamlet.  He  knows  also  that  he  was,  the  night  be- 
fore, King  Lear,  the  transformation  in  his  turn  of 
the  Othello  of  a  still  earlier  preceding  night.  And 
though  the  outer,  visible  character  is  supposed  to  be 
ignorant  of  the  fact,  and  in  actual  life  that  ignorance  is, 
unfortunately,  but  too  real,  nevertheless,  the  perma- 
nent Individuality  is  fully  aware  of  it,  and  it  is  through 
the  atrophy  of  the  'spiritual'  Eye  in  the  physical  body, 
that  that  knowledge  is  unable  to  impress  itself  on  the 
consciousness  of  the  Personality."  * 

When  the  physical  body  is  left  in  the  tomb  the  Soul 
is  clothed  in  an  astral2  body  and  lives  for  a  time  upon 

»  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky,  Vol.  II,  p.  320. 

"  Axh-al:  A  finer  state  of  matter  than  the  physical,  the  etheric;  the 
next  kingdom  'above  the  physical;  the  state  between  the  intensest 
physical  activity  and  the  slowest  mental  activity;  the  region  of  the 
play  of  all  feeling  and  desire  of  the  human  Soul,  whether  incarnate  or 
excarnate;  the  state  in  which  it  becomes  conscious  on  leaving  the 
physical, 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  157 

the  astral-plane,  in  the  exact  environment  for  which 
its  development  fits  it.  A  period  of  time  is  passed  in 
digesting  and  assimilating  the  lessons  of  the  past  life, 
in  the  reverse  order  of  their  acquirement,  and  in  realiz- 
ing the  inevitable  trend  of  all  its  desires  and  actions 
while  on  earth.  The  progress  made  is  in  the  growth 
and  development  of  the  seeds  of  good  and  evil  sown 
during  earth  life.  For  this  reason,  unless  reincarna- 
tion had  been  brought  to  one's  attention  upon  earth, 
he  would  be  very  unlikely  to  know  anything  about  it  or 
come  in  contact  with  those  who  did,  for  there  is  nothing 
in  his  astral  environment  to  suggest  it  any  more  than 
there  was  in  his  physical  environment.  After  having 
passed  through  the  various  subdivisions  of  the  astral 
world  and  passed  on  to  higher  states  of  conscious- 
ness, there  comes  a  time  in  his  evolution  when, 
after  a  long  period  of  rest — during  which  he  has  ex- 
hausted or  experienced  the  spiritual  bliss  resulting 
from  the  realization  of  all  his  earthly  ideals — he  real- 
izes his  limitations  and  chooses  once  more  to  clothe 
himself  in  flesh.  He  does  this  firstly,  from  a  compre- 
hension of  the  great  work  of  the  redemption  of  human- 
ity and  the  globe  which  he  has  gained  upon  the  higher 
planes  and  of  the  necessity  of  fitting  himself,  through 
further  earthly  experience,  for  his  necessary  part  in 
that  work;  and  secondly,  because  of  a  strong  desire 
to  help  on  the  evolution  of  the  Race,  which  evolu- 
tion can  only  be  accomplished  by  the  purified  Soul 
clothing  itself  in  fleshly  atoms  that  it  may  train  and 
purify  them.  The  Soul  realizes  that  its  lack  of  ex- 
perience limits  its  usefulness,  and  a  deliberate  choice 
is  made  once  more  to  function  through  a  physical 
body. 

Being  one   with   God  the   Soul   has  the  power  of 
choosing  its  path  and  its  environments,  subject  to  the 


158  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

Law  of  Karma,  the  one  desire  being  to  quickly  fulfill 
the  "cycle  of  necessity"  and  return  to  the  Father's 
heart.  Therefore  it  chooses  an  environment,  not  as  a 
personality  would  choose — for  wealth,  ease  or  happi- 
ness, for  it  realizes  that  spiritual  happiness  must  be 
born  of  earthly  experience ;  must  be  the  giving  up 
of  self  for  the  upliftment  of  all — but  an  environment 
which  will  give  it  the  best  opportunity  to  gain  the  ex- 
perience it  lacks — the  best  environment  that  its  Karma 
will  permit.  It  naturally  incarnates  among  its  old 
associates  unless,  as  sometimes  happens,  there  is  some 
Karma  or  needed  lesson  that  takes  it  temporarily  into  a 
new  set  of  associations  (a  side  issue).  This  clothing 
itself  in  flesh  involves  the  training  of  a  new  instrument 
(brain  and  body)  which  is  not  correlated  with  the 
memory  of  the  Real  Self,  and  thus  the  "why"  is  for- 
gotten, for  otherwise  the  lessons  would  be  no  lessons 
at  all.  This  experience  of  the  Soul  might  roughly  be 
compared  to  a  person  away  on  a  pleasure  trip  in  a 
foreign  country  where  he  suddenly  realizes  there  is 
some  task  he  has  failed  to  perform  ere  leaving  or 
that  there  is  some  loved  one  who  needs  his  help, 
and  he  returns  to  take  up  the  duty,  even  though  the 
task  be  sordid  and  repulsive,  and  the  loved  one  un- 
appreciative.  There  is  no  person,  therefore,  who  can 
say  that  at  the  present  time  he  is  having  his  last  in- 
carnation;  for  only  when  the  Soul  reaches  the  stage 
where  it  weighs  itself  in  the  balance  and  realizes  that 
there  still  lacks  something  of  earth's  experience  to  fit 
it  to  take  its  destined  place  in  the  Grand  Plan;  only 
then  can  it  be  known  whether  or  not  the  earth  urge  will 
draw  it  back  into  incarnation.  This  urge  is  not  always 
from  karmic  necessity,  except  during  the  earlier  stages 
of  evolution,  for  many  Souls  return  through  pure  love 
and  compassion  to  help  the  world,  even  after  they, 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  159 

as  separated  individuals,  have  gained  all  the  necessary 
experience  and  wisdom.  Therefore  it  is  foolish  for 
pupils  or  disciples  to  talk  about  this  being  their  last 
incarnation;  for  were  they  advanced  in  wisdom  they 
would  know  that  their  attitude  proclaimed  aloud  that 
they  were  lacking  in  even  ordinary  discretion  and 
common-sense. 

We  must  also  bear  in  mind  that  there  are  many 
more  Souls  excarnate  than  incarnate.  Many  of  them 
are  waiting  for  the  wave  of  civilization  to  rise  to  the 
special  point  that  will  permit  them  to  fulfill  their  des- 
tiny in  accord  with  karmic  law.  If  the  student  will 
refer  to  what  was  said  about  the  color  Rays  in  the 
chapter  on  Evolution,  it  will  be  found  to  apply  here. 
Since  all  Souls  belong  to  one  of  the  seven  Great  Rays 
they  must  wait  for  incarnation  until  the  Ray  and  sub- 
ray  to  which  they  belong  is  in  manifestation.  Thus, 
if  a  Soul  started  its  special  work  during  the  manifes- 
tation of  a  certain  sub-ray  of  the  Red  Ray,  while  un- 
der special  conditions  hinted  at  elsewhere,  it  might 
incarnate  and  work  out  side-issues  in  other  sub-rays, 
yet  the  main  work  could  not  be  continued  until  the 
same  sub-ray  was  again  manifesting. 

There  is  no  regular  set  time  during  which  Souls  re- 
main excarnate.  It  depends  upon  many  conditions, 
and  ranges  all  the  way  from  almost  immediate  rebirth 
to  five  hundred  years,  and  in  some  cases  far  more. 
There  is  almost  as  great  a  diversity  in  times  and 
seasons  for  rebirth  as  is  found  in  the  affairs  of  men. 

When  it  is  taught  that  a  Soul  incarnates  sometimes 
in  one  sex  and  sometimes  in  another,  or  in  each  sex 
for  seven  incarnations  alternately,  only  a  very  small 
fragment  of  a  great  truth  was  hinted  at.  This  par- 
tial truth  as  time  passed  has  developed  some  ridiculous 
and  irrelevant  conceptions.  Again  it  is  asserted  by 


160  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

many  that  sex  does  not  inhere  in  the  Soul,  but  the  fact 
is  that  sex  inheres  in  every  manifestation  of  con- 
sciousness, although  on  the  higher  planes  sex  mani- 
fests in  quite  a  different  way  from  that  which  we 
know  as  sex  in  the  physical  body.  While  the  great 
mystery  of  sex,  in  its  fulness,  is  as  sacredly  guarded 
today  as  it  has  ever  been,  still,  as  this  is  the  beginning 
of  a  new  cycle  or  the  reincarnation  of  a  period  of  the 
manifestation  of  this  great  mystery,  it  becomes  the 
duty  of  those  Masters  and  Teachers  connected  with 
this  special  line  of  work  to  again  give  to  the  world  a 
suggestion  of  the  inner  truths  connected  with  sex. 
But  alas,  the  time  is  not  yet  ripe  to  entirely  tear  aside 
the  veil  and  reveal  the  mysteries  of  this  subject  al- 
though an  effort  is  being  made  from  the  higher  side 
of  life  to  open  the  understanding  of  the  few  who 
can  realize  the  divine  possibilities  of  sex,  that  they 
may  penetrate  behind  the  veil. 

It  is  not  the  rule  for  a  Soul  to  change  its  sex  when 
incarnating,  but  is  rather  the  exception.  Since  the 
separation  of  the  sexes  during  the  Third  Race  the 
positive  and  negative  rays  always  retain  their  char- 
acteristics and  tend  to  incarnate  in  a  body  corre- 
sponding to  their  polarity.  The  exception  occurs  prin- 
cipally for  two  reasons.  The  first  one,  which  alas,  at 
this  period,  is  only  too  common,  is  that  if  a  Soul 
gaining  experience  either  through  a  male  or  a  female 
body  fails  to  appreciate  the  lessons  of  the  opposite  sex ; 
if  it  despises  the  other  and  either  cruelly  treats  it, 
or  holds  itself  superior  to  it,  such  a  Soul  at  its 
next  incarnation  may  find  itself  in  a  physical  body  of 
the  despised  sex ;  for  this  would  be  the  only  way  that 
such  a  Soul  could  learn  the  lessons  of  that  sex  and 
reap  the  Karma  it  had  created.  However,  the  sex 
of  the  incarnating  Soul  would  not  be  changed.  It  would 


The  Voice  of  Isis  161 

always  be  a  male  Soul  in  a  female  body  or  vice  versa. 
The  world  has  no  trouble  in  recognizing  this,  for 
such  misfitted  Souls  are  frequent  in  every  community, 
and  there  is  no  difficulty  in  noting  the  discrepancy 
between  the  sex  of  the  incarnating  entity  and  its  body. 
Every  male  contains  the  potentiality  of  the  female, 
and  every  female  that  of  the  male,  and  while  we 
would  not  speak  of  this  duality  as  sex  upon  the  spirit- 
ual-plane, as  we  use  the  term  sex  on  the  physical-plane, 
still,  if  the  student  will  remember  what  was  said  in 
the  chapter  on  Karma  in  regard  to  each  Soul  being 
a  part  of  the  Great  or  Heavenly  Man  and  having  a 
special  work  to  do  and  a  special  place  in  which  to 
fulfill  its  destiny,  comparing  it  to  the  body  as  we  have 
done,  it  will  be  seen  that  some  organs  (Souls)  must 
fulfill  the  function  of  the  positive  expression  (mascu- 
linity) while  others  express  the  negative  (femininity). 
Any  other  condition  would  be  unthinkable,  for  while 
we  know  that  all  expressions  of  life,  from  molecule 
to  God,  are  perfect  epitomes  of  the  Cosmos  and  contain 
the  two  opposite  poles  (positive  and  negative)  within 
each,  yet  in  the  aggregation  of  either  atoms,  organs 
or  Souls,  each  must  function  with  either  the  positive 
or  negative  expression  predominating.  It  is  just  as 
though  you  took  a  horseshoe  magnet  and  cut  it  up 
into  pieces.  Each  piece  would  be  a  perfect  magnet  with 
positive  and  negative  poles,  and  if  you  could  separate 
it  into  atoms  each  atom  would  have  its  positive  and 
negative  poles.  But  when  you  put  the  atoms  to- 
gether to  form  a  Grand  Magnet,  each  would  take  its 
place  on  either  the  positive  or  negative  side  and  express 
either  attraction  or  repulsion.  To  carry  this  simile 
further,  by  reversing  the  current  through  the  magnet 
it  would  be  easy  to  make  that  which  was  the  positive 
pole  become  the  negative,  and  vice  versa.  This  is 


162  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

what  takes  place  when  a  masculine  entity  clothes  itself 
with  a  feminine  body. 

As  to  man  evolving  into  an  androgynous  being  in 
which  both  sexes  manifest  coequally,  as  long  as  man- 
kind is  manifesting  in  separated  sexes  it  is  a  waste 
of  time  and  energy  to  try  to  imagine  such  an  exist- 
ence; for  until  you  have  learned  all  the  lessons  pos- 
sible in  separated  bodies  you  can  have  no  realization 
of  what  such  a  manifestation  would  be  like.  And 
you  will  never  learn  those  lessons  as  long  as  you 
despise  any  function  and  refuse  to  master  it.  The 
two  sexes  can  never  blend  into  one  until  each  has 
reached  a  perfect  expression  of  his  or  her  sex  and  they 
have  learned  to  work  together  in  perfect  harmony 
while  separated.  The  lesson  is  not  for  one  sex  to 
avoid  or  ignore  the  other,  but  to  learn  how  the  twain 
may  become  one  in  all  things,  in  heart,  mind  and  body, 
thus  fulfilling  the  great  Law  of  Sex. 

The  second  and  rare  cause  for  a  change  of  sex  is  that 
a  Soul  may  have  reached  a  degree  of  Mastery,  yet, 
owing  to  the  World-Karma,  and  to  the  restrictions  of 
conventionality,  such  a  Soul  may  never  have  fully 
grasped  or  understood  the  opposite  sex.  For  instance, 
a  Soul  expressing  the  masculine  principle  might  be 
deeply  desirous  of  entering  into  the  experience  of  the 
inmost  depths  of  the  opposite  Soul-expression  so  as  to 
see  its  temptations,  feel  its  oppression  and  learn  its 
limitations,  and  thus  be  ready  to  take  up  a  special 
work  in  the  coming  age,  whose  key-note  is  the  equal- 
ization of  the  sexes  and  the  liberation  and  the  res- 
toration of  woman  to  her  proper  place.  Theref6re,  a 
Great  Teacher  in  preparing  to  take  the  place  of  Leader 
in  such  an  age  might  naturally  desire  to  be  clothed 
for  one  life  period  with  a  female  outer  covering.  But 
even  in  this  case  it  would  be  evident  to  all  thinkers  that 


The  Voice  of  Isis  163 

the  sex  of  the  entity  differed  from  that  of  the  body. 
Such*a  Great  Teacher,  moreover,  might  use  that  period 
(which  would  be  her  last  earth  experience),  in  enter- 
ing into  all  phases  of  life.  She  might  use  the  power 
possessed  by  all  such  Teachers  to  merge  the  apparent 
personality  into  various  other  personalities.  Thus,  for 
a  time,  she  might  have  to  become  one  with  and  ap- 
parently manifest  the  qualities  of  a  depraved  sister, 
a  swearing,  roistering,  swashbuckler,  a  pirate,  a 
learned  scholar  or  any  other  phase  of  humanity.  She 
would  thus,  in  a  measure,  be  gaining  the  experience 
of  humanity  in  the  only  way  that  would  make  the 
experience  her  very  own,  knowing  all  the  tempta- 
tions and  also  the  inner  germ  of  love  and  hope  that 
even  the  most  degraded  hide  somewhere  within.  Such 
a  Great  Teacher  might  be  compared  to  an  author  who, 
in  gathering  data  for  a  coming  work,  lives  for  a  time 
in  each  class  of  society.  But  in  the  case  of  the  Great 
Teacher  the  power  would  be  hers  to  absolutely  be- 
come, for  a  time,  the  personality  she  desired  to  study. 
Thus  when  her  Great  Work  began  she  would  know 
just  how  to  deal  with  all  types  of  brothers  and  sisters, 
and  from  the  higher  planes  be  ready  to  direct  the 
reaping  of  the  golden  grain  sprung  from  the  seeds  of 
Divine  Truth  planted  during  her  last  earthly  incarna- 
tion. Such  a  complex  personality  was  she  who 
planted  the  seed  of  the  Wisdom  Religion  in  the  West- 
ern world.  And  she  is  still  directing  its  garnering 
from  the  higher  planes. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

POWER. 

"Alas,  alas,  that  all  men  should  possess  Alaya 
(Divine  Essence),  be  one  with  the  Great  Soul, 
and  that,  possessing  it,  Alaya  should  so  little  avail 
them." — The  Voice  of  the  Silence,  Blavatsky, 
Fragment  II. 

"For  God  hath  not  given  us  the  spirit  of  fear; 
hut  of  power,  and  of  love,  and  of  a  sound  mind." 
//  Timothy,  17. 

Man  is  made  in  the  image  of  God.  This  image, 
however,  is  not  the  corporeal  likeness  of  a  personal 
God,  for  God  has  no  personality  which  can  be  imitated. 
But  if  we  take  God  to  mean  that  Supreme  Power 
which  is  sent  forth  from  the  Absolute,  and  through 
whose  many  manifestations  all  things  are  brought 
forth,  then  we  must  recognize  that  this  God  must 
have  all  power.  It  is  in  the  image  of  this  All-power 
that  man  is  made.  Jesus,  who  stands  as  a  symbol  of 
perfected  man,  said :  "All  power  is  given  unto  me  in 
heaven  and  in  earth/'1  If  this  be  true  of  the  highest 
type  of  man,  it  is  potentially  true  of  all  men,  for  all 
power  is  given  unto  man  because  he  is  created  in  the 
image  of  God,  although  in  most  men  this  power  is 
latent  because  man  in  the  aggregate  has  not  yet  come 
into  his  birthright,  at-one-ment  with  his  Father-in- 
heaven  or  Higher  Self.  The  omnipotent  powers  of 
God  operate  through  intelligent  centers  of  power  in 
the  manifested  universe.  And  to  make  it  possible  for 
perfected  man  to  have  "all  power  in  heaven  and  in 
earth"  and  to  fulfill  the  prophecy  that  he  shall  "become 
as  one  of  us"  (the  gods),  these  centers  of  power  must 

*St.  Matthew  XXVIII.  18. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  165 

have  their  more  or  less  active  reflections  in  man,  for 
man  is  truly  the  microcosm  of  the  macrocosm.  All 
the  lower  kingdoms  have  certain  powers  but  only  man 
has  the  powers  of  the  Godhead,  with  which,  when 
he  manifests  them  as  his  own,  he  can  create  the  new 
heaven  and  the  new  earth  of  the  Apocalypse,  wherein 
dwelleth  righteousness.  When  man  awakes  to  a  real- 
ization that  all  powers  in  heaven  and  in  earth  are  la- 
tent within  himself — in  heaven  the  powers  of  the  God- 
head, in  earth  the  powers  of  all  creatures  and  all  Na- 
ture— he  will  begin  to  reclaim  his  lost  heritage,  lost 
only  in  the  sense  of  his  having  deserted  it. 

In  most  Eastern  teachings  we  find  hints  of  these 
wondrous  powers  and  are  told  that  they  represent 
steps  up  which  every  candidate  for  Mastery  must  la- 
borously  climb.  The  Western  world  is  awakening  to 
the  use  of  some  of  these  powers,  especially  the  powers 
to  control  disease  and  dominate  environment.  The 
powers  of  man  are  six  in  number,  synthesised  in  a 
seventh — the  Astral  Light  of  Eliphas  Levi — and  cor- 
respond to  the  seven  principles  of  man.1  Each  power 
has  its  seat  in  a  certain  sacred  center  in  the  body. 
These  seven  centers,  each  with  its  seven  subsidiary 
centers,  are  sometimes  called  the  "forty-nine  crucified 
saviors,"  signifying  that  the  vital  power  of  these  centers 
is  at  present  misused  and  crucified,  and  ere  they  can 
become  man's  Saviors  they  must  be  resurrected  from 
the  tomb  of  matter  and  made  to  function  in  a  higher 
state.  They  are  called  the  forty-nine  fires  because 
their  light  guides  man  to  super-man. 

These  powers  are  (1)  the  Supreme  Power  (Para- 
shakti)  ;  (2)  the  power  of  Intellect  (Jnana-Shakti)  ; 
(3)  the  power  of  Will  (Ichchha-shakti) ;  (4)  the  power 
of  Thought  (Kriya-shakti) ;  (5)the  power  of  the  Life- 

1  See  The  Seven  Principles  of  Man,   Besant. 


166  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

principle  (Kundalini-shakti)  and  (6)  the  power  of 
Speech  (Mantrika-shakti) .  Each  power  is  an  emanation 
from  one  of  the  Elohim,  hence  must  be  reflected  in 
man  to  make  him  the  image  of  God,  for  God,  like  the 
white  light,  in  passing  through  the  prism  of  matter, 
manifests  in  a  seven-fold  manner.  Each  power  has 
its  positive  and  negative  aspects,  and  until  we  can 
correlate  with  the  positive  ray  of  its  Progenitor  we 
are  buffetted  by  its  negative  aspect. 

It  is  impossible  to  consider  these  powers  separately, 
for  without  the  cultivation  of  all  none  can  be  truly 
operative.  The  Supreme  Power  is  the  power  which 
man  has  of  correlating  with  Divinity  through  the 
breath.  All  creatures  breathe,  and  we  are  accustomed 
to  say  that  "breath  is  life,"  and  ordinarily  when  man 
ceases  to  breathe  he  ceases  to  live  objectively,  but  man 
alone,  because  he  can  bring  his  other  powers  to  bear 
upon  it,  can  make  the  breath  more  than  the  mere  draw- 
ing in  of  physical  life.  Within  the  auric  zone  of  the 
earth  there  are  many  subtle  forces  unknown  to  science 
and  barely  mentioned  by  even  the  deeper  students  of 
mysticism  because  so  sacred,  so  potent  and  so  powerful 
that  their  very  names  must  scarce  be  whispered. 
Breath,  combined  with  Will  and  Thought,  is  the  power 
by  which  man  reaches  up  to  the  higher  worlds  and 
opens  an  avenue  through  which  these  potent  forces  may 
reach  his  Inner  Self  and  lift  him  above  mundane  things, 
and  at  the  same  time  regenerate  his  physical  body. 
There  are  those  who,  holding  the  thought  of  health, 
breathe  for  physical  health  and  obtain  it,  but  it  is 
possible  to  use  the  breath  to  obtain  far  more  than  mere 
physical  health.  Its  misuse  or  negative  aspect  can  also 
bring  disasters  undreamed  of  by  the  pseudo-occultist. 
Realize  that  you  are  responsible  for  every  breath  that 
you  breathe,  for  through  the  breath  you  are  spreading 


The  Voice  of  Isis  167 

either  God-love  or  disease.  It  is  commonly  thought 
that  the  outgoing  breath  contains  a  virulent  poison, 
and  so  it  does  if 'you  permit  it,  for  it  carries  off  certain 
effluvia  from  the  decaying  atoms  within  you.  Are  you 
willing  to  be  a  source  of  infection?  If  this  is  your  will 
and  your  thought  then  it  is  what  you  become.  When 
the  breath  is  foul  you  are  abusing  your  body,  it  is  sick 
and  out  of  order.  It  is  within  your  power  to  be  healthy, 
to  be  a  source  of  inspiration  and  life  to  all.  For  health 
and  life  and  love  are  as  infectious  as  their  opposites. 
Therefore,  every  time  you  become  conscious  of  it,  use 
your  power  of  the  breath  to  breathe  in  Divine  Love,  to 
breath  in  Spiritual  Life  that  it  shall  so  cleanse  and 
transmute  your  physical  atoms  that  your  breath  shall 
become  as  that  of  a  little  child. 

Mind  or  intellect  should  not  be  confused  with  the 
power  of  thought.  The  human  mind  is  the  reflection  in 
man  of  the  reat  Universal  Mind,  the  Divine  Ideation 
or  what  some  call  Cosmic  Consciousness.  It  is  the 
vehicle  through  which  thought  operates.  In  man  mind 
manifests  in  a  threefold  manner,  the  subconscious  or 
animal  mind,  the  conscious  or  human  mind  and  the 
super-conscious  or  Divine  Mind.  The  subconscious 
mind  is  composed  of  the  consciousness  of  every  cell, 
organ  and  nerve  ganglia  synthesized  and  overshadowed 
by  the  animal  soul.  A  reflection  or  shadow  of  this 
power  can  be  traced  in  all  the  kingdoms,  even  those  in 
which  it  is  still  latent  and  which  have  no  power  of 
thought.  Being  the  mind  of  the  animal  soul  it  is  below 
the  consciousness  of  the  human  reincarnating  Ego. 
To  its  control  are  relegated  all  those  functions  which 
operate  without  man's  conscious  control,  i.  e.,  respira- 
tion, circulation,  secretion,  excretion,  etc.  But  when 
these  functions  are  deranged  beyond  the  power  of  the 
subconscious  to  restore  it  appeals  to  the  human  con- 


168  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

sciousness  for  aid  through  pain  or  discomfort  and  man 
becomes  aware  that  something  is  wrong.  The  sub- 
conscious mind  is  the  vehicle  of  the  passions  and  desires 
normal  to  the  animal  soul  and  which  it  seeks  to  gratify, 
but  which  must  be  controlled  and  directed  to  their 
highest  uses  by  the  will  of  the  human  Ego.  This 
lower  or  animal  mind  functions  through  centers  in  the 
medulla  oblongata,  the  cerebellum  and  also  in  the  solar 
plexus  and  other  nerve  ganglia  containing  gray  matter. 
When  these  centers  are  upset  by  inharmony  or  the 
baser  emotions — fear,  hate,  envy,  jealousy,  sorrow,  etc. 
— the  functions  controlled  by  them  are  inhibited  or 
perverted,  and  the  physical,  mental  and  moral  health 
suffers,  while  if  they  are  stimulated  by  peace,  tran- 
quility  and  harmony  or  exalted  by. joy  and  love  their 
normal  functions  are  activated  or  increased  with  corre- 
sponding welfare  of  the  whole  organism.  Habits  are 
the  result  of  training  the  subconscious  mind  to  act  in  a 
certain  way.  Most  vague  and  illogical  dreams  are  the 
result  of  the  subconscious  mind  wandering  about  in  the 
astral  world  during  the  absence  of  the  human  Ego  from 
the  body  during  sleep  and  therefore  without  its  guid- 
ance or  supervision.  Hence  it  is  comparatively  easy  to 
train  the  subconscious  mind  not  to  wander  so  that  only 
the  spiritual  lessons  given  by  the  Higher  Self  through 
symbolic  visions  or  logical,  well-remembered  dreams 
will  be  brought  back  to  the  waking  consciousness. 

From  the  above  we  will  see  that  we  should  treat  the 
subconscious  mind — as  well  as  the  body — as  a  good  and 
faithful  servant,  but  should  not  look  to  it  for  a  higher 
degree  of  intelligence  than  we  could  expect  from  the 
highest  animal,  and  certainly  should  never  look  to  it 
for  guidance  in  moral  or  spiritual  problems. 

The  conscious  or  human  mind  (manas)  is  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  human  reincarnating  Ego  inhabiting 


The  Voice  of  Isis  169 

the  body  and  limited  by  its  faculties.  It  functions 
through  the  cortex  of  the  brain,  through  whose  centers 
it  controls  the  subconscious.  It  is  the  great  battle- 
ground where  the  Ego  is  influenced  from  below  by  the 
animal  mind  and  from  above  by  the  Divine  Mind,  yet 
having  free-will  to  choose  its  own  course  of  action.  It 
is  called  lower  or  higher  manas  according  as  it  identifies 
itself  with  the  desires  of  the  animal  mind  or  the  desires 
of  its  Father-in-heaven.  Its  characteristic  is  self-con- 
sciousness, the  feeling  of  I  AM  I.  'The  following  are 
some  of  its  manifestations  when  placed  under  the  influ- 
ence or  control  of  material  conditions,  (a)  The  power 
of  the  mind  in  interpreting  our  sensations,  (b)  Its 
power  in  recalling  past  ideas  (memory)  and  raising 
future  expectation,  (c)  Its  power  as  exhibited  in  what 
are  called  by  modern  psychologists  'the  laws  of  associa- 
tion,' which  enables  it  to  form  persisting  connections 
between  various  groups  of  sensations  and  possibilities 
of  sensations,  and  thus  generate  the  notion  or  idea  of 
an  external  object,  (d)  Its  power  in  connecting  our 
ideas  together  by  the  mysterious  links  of  memory,  and 
thus  generating  the  notion  of  self  or  individuality.  The 
following  are  some  of  its  manifestations  when  liberated 
from  the  bonds  of  matter:  (a)  Clairvoyance,  (b) 
Psychometry."  1 

The  super-conscious  or  Divine  Mind  is  the  mind  of 
the  Higher  Self  or  Father-in-heaven,  one  with  God. 
This  Divine  Consciousness  overshadows  the  human 
mind  much  as  the  human  overshadows  the  sub- 
conscious. It  is  from  this  source  that  the  higher 
guidance  called  conscience  and  intuition  comes,  arid 
its  Voice  is  often  mistaken  for  the  voice  of  some 
Divine  Being  or  Master.  It  functions  through  the 
pineal  gland  and  pituitary  body  located  in  the  middle 
of  the  brain. 

1  The  Secret  Doctrine,   Blavatsky,  Vol.   I.,   p.   312,  I.   &  II. 


170  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

The  power  of  Will  is  truly  a  godlike  one,  for  it 
enables  man  to  follow  the  will  of  God  or,  setting  up 
his  own  will,  to  follow  his  own  desires  in  opposition 
to  the  will  of  God,  or  the  Great  Law  of  Good.  If 
God's  will  were  merely  reflected  in  or  imposed  upon 
man,  he  would  of  necessity  have  to  follow  that  will, 
which  would  then  be  not  a  power  given  him  to  use 
as  he  would,  but  a  leading-string  which  he  must 
follow.  Man  alone  has  free-will.  The  animals  are 
subject  to  the  will  of  the  Entity  governing  the 
Group-soul  of  their  species.  An  animal  acts  because 
of  instinct,  not  because  of  free-will.  Man,  through 
his  power  of  Will  can  reach  up  into  the  world  of 
Divine  Mind  and  bring  to  himself  all  the  power  of 
Mind,  or  he  can  grovel  with  the  beasts  in  the  World 
of  Desire  and  by  his  superior  powers  intensify  its 
evils.  Thus  it  is  that  in  a  world  created  by  a  God  of 
Love  man  has  the  power  to  create  evil.  Will  is  a 
power  bestowed  upon  man,  for  the  use  of  which  man 
alone  is  responsible — he  is  not  a  mere  puppet, 
forced  to  follow  the  will  of  God. 

Thought  is  the  power  by  which  man  creates 
images  or  moulds  within  which  Divine  Ideation 
manifests,  while  imagination  is  the  power  by  which 
he  comprehends  the  subjective  ideal,  the  outer  sem- 
blance of  which  may  come  into  objective  manifesta- 
tion through  thought.  For  instance,  a  painter  may 
in  imagination  comprehend  ideal  love,  but  he  must 
use  thought  to  mould  the  details  in  his  effort  to 
represent  it  on  canvas.  Psychology  says  that  "every 
thought  tends  to  express  itself  in  terms  of  muscular 
activity  unless  counteracted  by  a  more  powerful 
thought  of  opposite  character."  Thus  through  the 
powers  of  Thought  man  creates  his  world,  or,  as  the 
Bible  expresses  it,  "As  he  thinketh  in  his  heart,  so 


The  Voice  of  Isis  171 

is  he."  And  because  of  this  mould-making  power, 
that  which  is  repeatedly  thought  of  will  ultimately 
manifest.  If  we  think  continually  of  ourselves  as 
poor  or  sick  or  unhappy  we  are  making  it  more 
possible  for  poverty,  sickness  and  unhappiness  to 
manifest.  In  fact  we  are  creating  a  mould  into  which 
they  must  flow.  Conversely  if  we  think  of  peace, 
plenty,  health  and  happiness  they  are  just  as  certain  to 
manifest. 

Thought  manifests  in  a  dual  way.  It  is  the  middle 
principle  and  together  with  Mind  and  Breath,  can  be 
used  to  draw  inspiration  from  the  Divine  or  it  can  be 
dragged  down  and  made  to  waste  its  force  on  triviali- 
ties, self-pity,  etc.  When  you  recognize  its  power  to 
make  images  or  moulds  into  which  the  life-forces 
naturally  flow  and  shape  themselves  and  become 
objective,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  if  wasted  on 
every  ache  and  pain  or  poverty,  troubles  or  petty 
worries  they  grow  apace  and  become  objective. 

The  power  of  the  Life-principle  is  that  magneto- 
dynamic  force  which  correlates  man  with  Nature  and 
through  which  he  either  dominates  it  or  is  dominated 
by  it.  It  works  in  Nature  to  readjust  and  harmonize 
Spirit  and  matter.  It  is  the  power  of  rhythm,  the  power 
of  all  forces  which  take  a  serpentine  path.  Frequently 
persons  say  they  know  a  storm  is  coming  by  their 
aches  and  pains,  and  we  know  that  all  animals  are 
warned  by  this  same  power  to  protect  themselves  from 
the  approaching  storm.  In  man  this  power  is  far  more 
than  a  common  consciousness  with  Nature,  for  by  it, 
if  he  wills  so  to  be,  he  is  literally  the  ruler  of  Nature 
or  the  Lord  of  Creation.  It  is  through  this  power 
that  he  impresses  his  state  of  development  upon  the 


172  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

Cosmos.  When  storms,  earthquakes,  tidal  waves,  vol- 
canoes or  catastrophes  of  other  kinds  take  place,  many 
say,  "Behold  the  work  of  God!  How  insignificant  is 
man !"  This  is  false.  God  never  made  a  storm,  an 
earthquake  or  a  catastrophe  of  any  kind,  for  God  is 
the  great  Law  of  Love.  They  are  all  evidences  of 
man's  power.  Had  man  never  sent  out  evil  thoughts, 
wicked  words,  blasphemies  and  curses,  the  earth's 
aura  could  never  be  so  charged  with  destructive  forces 
that  a  catastrophe  was  necessary  to  dissipate  them 
and  bring  about  equilibrium.  Had  man  never  exer- 
cised demoniacal  cruelty  to  his  brother  man,  neither 
the  animate  nor  inanimate  Worlds  would  be  at  enmity 
with  him.  When  a  cataclysm  takes  place,  instead  of 
saying  that  man  is  but  a  helpless  atom  before  the 
manifestations  of  Nature  we  should  say,  Behold  how 
powerful  is  man !  For  it  is  by  the  misuse  of  this 
power  of  the  Life-principle,  exercised  through  free- 
will, that  man  has  brought  suffering  and  destruction 
into  a  world  created  by  love.  So  is  it  with  man's 
body.  Unless  it  has  been  purified  through  love  and 
spiritual  aspiration  this  power  of  the  Life-force — 
which  in  ordinary  man  is  almost  dormant — will  bring 
about  readjustments  in  his  body  comparable  to  earth- 
quakes and  cyclones.  Therefore  to  meditate  upon 
this  force  or  its  center  in  the  body  and  strive  to  rouse 
it  into  activity  is  extremely  dangerous,  for  such  prac- 
tices have  been  known  to  cause  insanity  and  instant 
death.  The  disciples  said  of  Jesus,  "What  manner 
of  man  is  this,  that  even  the  winds  and  the  sea  obey 
him !"  This  indicates  what  perfected  man  can  do 
when  he  uses  his  powers  according  to  the  Law  of  Love. 
To  overcome  fear  is  the  first  step  on  the  Path,  for 
fear  can  be  conquered  only  by  love.  If  fear  were 
conquered  absolutely,  ere  man  learned  to  correlate  his 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  173 

powers  with  God-love,  conditions  would  be  far  worse 
than  today,  for  even  fear  is  the  servant  of  God.  Fear 
is  a  paralyzing  and  disintegrating  force,  and  if  it  were 
not  that  the  catastrophes  caused  by  man's  disobedience 
engendered  fear,  the  mistakes  of  man  would  become 
a  solid  wall  of  darkness  shutting  him  away  from  God. 
Fear  is  continually  working  as  the  Great  Disintegrator, 
in  reality  helping  the  force  of  the  evil  created  by 
man,  which  is  like  a  miasmic  mist,  to  precipitate  and 
exhaust  its  power  upon  the  earth  in  the  form  of 
storms  and  catastrophes,  and  in  the  human  body  as 
sickness,  disease  and  death,  instead  of  accumulating 
indefinitely.  When  mankind  learns  the  Law  of  Love, 
fear  will  have  no  more  work  to  do,  and  will  cease  to 
appall  man  at  every  step.  God  did  not  give  man  fear. 
Man  himself  brought  it  into  manifestation.  From  an- 
other aspect  fear  is  love  perverted.  In  one  sense 
fear  is  the  Angel  of  the  Flaming  Sword  guarding 
the  entrance  to  Eden,  Eden  being  a  perfected  earth 
and  a  perfected  physical  body,  with  its  trees  bearing 
every  manner  of  fruit  good  for  man,  /.  c.,  his  powers. 
It  was  the  tree  which  grew  in  the  midst  of  the  Garden, 
or  this  Kundalini  or  serpentine  force  which  functions 
in  the  spinal  column,  that  proved  man's  undoing.1 
Only  when  this  force  is  mastered  and  fear  vanquished 
can  man  re-enter  Eden,  cultivate  the  trees  and  eat 
of  .the  fruit  thereof  as  a  faithful  husbandman.  To 
conquer  fear  you  must  resolutely  use  all  your  powers 
to  create  Good,  for  as  long  as  you  create  evil  you 
must  have  fear  to  help  disintegrate  and  dissipate  it. 
"Beware  of  fear  that  spreadeth,  like  the  black  and 
soundless  wings  of  midnight  bat,  between  the  moon- 
light of  the  Soul  and  thy  great  goal  that  loometh  in 
the  distance  far  away.  Fear,  O  Disciple,  kills  the 
will  and  stays  all  action The  Path  that 

rSee  Chapter  XVIII. 


174  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

leadeth  on  is  lighted  by  one  fire — the  light  of  daring 
burning  in  the  heart.  The  more  one  dares,  the  more 
he  shall  obtain.  The  more  he  fears,  the  more  that 
light  shall  pale — and  that  alone  can  guide."  x  Dare, 
Do,  Keep  Silent.  Become  one  with  the  Silence  in 
which  all  forces  are  potent. 

Speech  is  one  of  the  greatest  powers,  for  it  includes 
the  powers  of  sound,  number,  color  and,  when  written, 
form.  We  are  all  more  or  less  familiar  with  the 
power  of  sound,  both  in  the  spoken  word  and  in  the 
chanting  of  mantra,  etc.  One  who  masters  this  power 
has  the  world  at  his  feet.  This  is  illustrated  to  a 
slight  degree  by  the  ease  with  which  an  eloquent 
speaker  can  sway  an  audience.  In  this  chapter  but  a 
hint  can  be  given,  for  it  would  require  a  separate 
lesson  to  even  outline  this  subject.  The  point  of 
development  each  Soul  has  reached  is  revealed  in  the 
tones  of  the  voice,  just  as  nature-tones  indicate  Nature's 
stage  of  evolution.  We  may  carefully  control  our 
words  and  manner  of  expression,  but  the  tones  of 
the  voice  will  reveal  the  true  feeling  back  of  the 
words.  This  inner  attitude  is  quickly  recognized, 
especially  by  children  and  animals.  In  fact,  tone  is 
the  key-note  of  man's  power  over  the  animal  kingdom ; 
for  by  the  tone  he  either  arouses  enmity  or  love  and 
obedience.  The  spoken  word  can  never  die,  but  will 
go  on  working  out  the  potency  and  power,  not  only 
of  its  tone,  but  also  of  its  color,  number  and  form 
and  the  thought-pictures  created  by  it  in  the  minds 
of  its  hearers,  together  with  the  power  of  the  Will 
which  sent  it  forth.  Every  word  and  tone  spoken 
by  man  is  registered  upon  the  etheric  substance  of 
the  Akashic  Records.  This  principle  has  been  dem- 
onstrated and  its  truth  verified  in  a  physical  way  in 
the  phonograph.  Speech  is  the  first  power  for  man 

1  The  Voice  of  the  Silence,  Fragment  III,  Blaratsky. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  175 

to  master  as  a  medium  through  which  all  his  powers 
may  be  made  operative  on  earth. 

It  is  said  that,  "Before  the  voice  can  speak  in  the 
presence  of  the  Masters,  it  must  have  lost  the  power 
to  wound."  To  speak  in  the  presence  of  the  Masters 
means  speaking  as  a  Master  or  that  the  spoken  word 
will  carry  with  it  the  mastery  of  conditions.  To 
bring  to  your  minds  some  of  the  practical  effects  of 
this  power  we  would  ask  you  for  one  day  to  note 
carefully  the  effect  your  words  have  on  those  about 
you.  Many  pupils  ask  for  something  practical  to  do 
to  develop  occult  powers  and  manifest  the  higher  life. 
Noting  the  effect  of  your  words  is  practical  and  most 
important  and  a  practice  which  can  be  indulged  in 
without  fear  of  dangerous  consequences.  And  until 
at  least  some  conception  of  the  power  of  speaking 
kindly  and  lovingly  but  to  some  purpose  and  some 
degree  of  mastery  over  it  -has  been  attained  the  devel- 
opment of  all  other  occult  powers  will  be  retarded 
if  not  actually  prevented. 

God  spake  the  word  and  the  world  was  created. 
Man  speaks  one  little  word  and  a  new  world  of  glad- 
ness is  created  in  his  brother's  life,  or  man  speaks  a 
word  and  a  brother  is  disheartened  and  gives  up  the 
fight,  or  a  sister's  good  name  is  taken  from  her  and 
she  is  pushed  out  into  the  darkness,  is  pushed  down 
under  the  feet  of  the  multitude.  Think  what  one 
kind  word  can  do !  How  it  can  bring  sunshine  and 
peace  and  courage  into  your  own  life  and  the  lives  of 
others !  Waste  no  force  in  frivolous  or  negative 
chatter,  speak  only  positive  words,  words  of  love, 
words  of  power.  If  your  brother  offend  you,  speak 
words  of  love  that  your  heart  may  send  back  nothing 
but  love.  Never  withhold  a  sincere  word  of  love  or 
endearment  or  a  word  of  help,  encouragement  or 


176  The  Voice  of  Isis 

health.  A  kind  word  spoken  even  to  a  stray  dog 
will  not  return  to  you  void.  Know  well  that  until  you 
have  mastered  this  power  and  can  speak  words  of 
health,  strength,  cheer,  courage  and  love  you  would 
better  follow  the  injunction,  "Let  your  communication 
be,  Yea,  yea;  Nay,  nay."  For  remember  well,  "what- 
soever is  more  than  these  cometh  of  evil."  The  mean- 
ing of  this  is  that  any  unkind,  boastful  or  untrue  word 
is  bound  to  return  for  you  to  prove  and  adjust,  prob- 
ably just  when  you  think  you  have  conquered.  Be 
especially  careful  in  regard  to  written  words.  When 
the  world  begins  to  understand  this  power  there  will 
be  fewer  misleading  statements  sent  out  under  the 
guise  of  occult  teaching  which  become  snares  and 
wiles  to  mislead  those  who  are  seeking  enlighten- 
ment. We  cannot  emphasize  too  strongly  this  fact: 
"That  every  idle  word  (either  spoken  or  written)  that 
men  shall  speak,  they  shall  give  account  thereof  in 
the  day  of  judgment." 

As  to  how  to  attain  and  use  these  powers :  They  are 
yours  now.  They  are  in  constant  activity  and,  unless 
consciously  directed  toward  the  unification  of  man- 
kind in  God-love,  they  are  adding  their  force  to  the 
misery  of  life,  both  in  your  own  body  and  in  the  whole 
Cosmos.  Hence,  there  is  but  one  thing  to  do — realize 
that  God  is  Love,  and  that  Love  is  the  one  great  Law 
of  all  Life,  manifesting  in  you  in  this  seven-fold  Path 
of  Power.  If  this  realization  seems  difficult,  set  to 
work  at  it  in  earnest.  Repeat  it  to  yourself  again 
and  again.  Breathe  it.  Vitalize  it  with  the  Life- 
principle.  Think  of  it.  Will  it.  Grasp  it.  Impress 
it  upon  every  atom  of  your  manifested  expressions  of 
being.  And  the  ultimate  result  can  only  be  Victory. 

When  you  synthesise  your  six  powers  in  the  seventh, 
the  power  of  becoming  one  in  consciousness  with  God- 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  177 

love — which  is  the  power  proceeding  from  the  heart 
and  always  spoken  of  as  the  power  of  the  Diamond 
Heart  or  the  Heart  Doctrine — then  you  can  have  noth- 
ing to  fear,  for  "perfect  love  casteth  out  fear."  This 
is  the  power  of  becoming  one  with  your  Higher  Self. 
Its  seat  is  in  the  heart,  for  in  the  heart  are  centers 
corresponding  to  and  connected  with  all  the  centers, 
as  an  electric  switch-board  may  be  connected  with 
many  sub-stations.  Therefore  by  cultivating  the  heart 
qualities  and  dwelling  in  peace  and  love  you  can 
awaken  and  dominate  all  the  centers  and  make  their 
cultivation  easier. 

This  is  not  some  far-off  possibility,  for  the  instant 
you  synthesise  all  your  powers  in  the  heart  and  seek 
to  subserviate  your  life  and  action  to  the  Law  of  Love 
you  are  one  in  aim  with  your  Higher  Self,  and  this 
Higher  Self  will  manifest  more  and  more  through 
you.  Then  will  there  be  no  death,  for  death  will  be 
swallowed  up  in  victory.  You  have  nothing  to  fear 
for  you  are  all-powerful.  You  have  but  to  direct  your 
powers  in  accord  with  the  universal  Law  of  God 
which  is  Love. 

Look  around  you  and  see  the  evil  man's  powers 
have  wrought  when  working  contrary  to  the  Law ! 
Then  think  what  they  could  accomplish  if  they  had 
this  Great  Law  working  back  of  and  through 
them  !  If  but  two  or  three  are  gathered  together 
"in  my  name"  (The  Christ-love),  ready  to  believe 
the  spoken  word  of  power  as  herein  delivered  to 
you,  i.  e.,  that  you  are  today  as  gods  and  that  all 
power  is  given  unto  you  in  heaven  and  in  earth  if 
you  really  will  to  become  one  with  the  great  Law 
of  Love,  then  the  regeneration  of  the  world  would 
quickly  be  accomplished.  And  if  but  seven  Souls,  or 
even  three,  can  be  gathered  together  and  work  con- 


178  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

sciously  in  a  perfect  realization  of  this  truth,  making 
a  determined  effort  to  work  with  the  Law,  soon  there 
will  manifest  on  the  earth-plane  a  practical  Center  of 
Right  Living  of  such  force  and  social  magnitude  that 
the  whole  earth  will  feel  its  influence,  and  the  deplor- 
able conditions  under  which  the  world  now  suffers 
will  begin  to  adjust  themselves. 

There  is  no  use  reading  a  lesson  such  as  this  and 
thinking  it  a  mere  theory,  for  it  is  more  than  mere 
theory.  It  comes  to  you  as  the  Word  of  Power.  It 
says  to  each  Soul :  What  are  you  going  to  do  about 
it?  On  which  side  of  the  battle  will  you  fight?  Into 
whose  coffers  will  you  pour  your  substance,  God's 
or  Mammon's?  Choose  ye  this  day  whom  ye  will 
serve.  "O  fearless  Aspirant,  look  deep  within  the  well 
of  thine  own  heart,  and  answer.  Knowest  thou  of 
Self  the  powers,  O  thou  perceiver  of  external  shadows? 
If  thou  dost  not — then  art  thou  lost."  1 

1  The  Voice  of  the  Silence,  Fragment  III,  Hlavatsky. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A    BRIEF    OUTLINE    OF    EVOLUTION — THE    RELATION    OF 
THE    MASTERS   TO    HUMANITY. 

Just  as  the  Law  of  Karma  is  indissolubly  con- 
nected with  the  Law  of  Reincarnation,  so  is  reincar- 
nation indissolubly  connected  with  the  Law  of  Evo- 
lution ;  for  without  reincarnation,  evolution  could 
not  be  carried  on.  Hence,  a  brief  outline  of  the  chief 
factors  in  evolution,  on  this  planet,  will  first  be  con- 
sidered. But  in  this  s'hort  chapter  we  do  not  at- 
tempt to  cover  all  phases  of  the  subject.  We  merely 
view  it  from  one  angle,  with  a  full  recognition  that 
it  may  be  viewed  from  many  angles. 

As  correctly  stated  by  the  naturalist,  Agassiz : 
"All  things  had  their  origin  in  Spirit — evolution 
having  originally  begun  from  above  and  proceed- 
ing downwards,  instead  of  the  reverse,  as  taught 
in  the  Darwinian  theory/'1  At  the  first  rebirth  of 
our  earth — for  the  law  of  cyclic  rebirth  applies  to 
planets  and  systems  as  well  as  to  men — it  was 
brought  into  manifestation,  or  "created"2  by  a  ray 
of  pure  white  light  from  the  Absolute  penetrating 
into  the  chaotic  debris  of  previous  world-periods. 
As  a  ray  of  light  in  passing  through  a  prism  is  sep- 
arated into  seven  color-rays,  so  this  Ray  of  spirit- 
ual light  in  passing  through  the  prism  of  manifes- 
tation was  separated  into  seven  great  differentia- 
tions or  color-rays  called  Hierarchies.  These  are 
composed  of  spiritual  Beings  manifesting  the  cre- 
ative power  of  their  color.  For  just  as  science  has 

1  Principles  of  Zoology,   p.    154. 
•  Not,    however,    out    of   nothing. 


180  The  Voice  of  Isis 

demonstrated  that  every  color  has  its  special  and 
characteristic  work  in  the  world,  so  each  of  these 
spiritual  color-rays  has  its  own  part  to  play  in  the 
evolution  of  both  man  and  the  lower  kingdoms. 
Each  Ray  is  presided  over  by  one  of  the  manifes- 
tations of  Deity  collectively  spoken  of  in  the  Bible 
as  the  Elohim  and  in  Eastern  teaching  as  the  Rishis, 
Sons  of  Wisdom,  etc.,  who  needed  this  manifesta- 
tion to  perfect  their  experience,  and  to  prepare 
conditions  to  further  the  evolution  of  the  lower  be- 
ings— the  humanity  of  this  globe — under  their 
charge. 

The  great  Spiritual  Masters,  constituting  the 
higher  degrees  of  each  Ray,  gained  their  god-like 
perfection  in  previous  world-periods1  of  almost  im- 
measurable length,  and  gained  mastery  over  the 
cosmic  forces  while  upon  the  lunar  chain  of  globes.2 
Hence,  they  are  called  our  Lunar  Ancestors  or 
Fathers  (Pitris).  But  they  still  needed  the  experi- 
ence of  guiding  the  evolution  of  this  darkest,  be- 
cause lowest,  of  planets,  the  earth,  to  perfect  them 
in  wisdom.  After  they  had  enjoyed  a  rest,  or  pe- 
riod of  withdrawal  from  activity  in  manifestation, 
for  incalculable  aeons,  they  took  up  the  formation 
and  evolution  of  this  planet.  By  the  power  of  con- 
centrated Divine  Will  and  Wisdom,  they  con- 
sciously formed  and  brought  into  manifestation  our 
earth  as  an  advanced  field  wherein  to  train  and 
further  the  evolution  of  humanity.  They  did  this 

1  Great  Life  Cycles  or  Manvantaras.     See  Chapter  XV. 

2  "The    Sun    is   the    Giver    of    Life   to    the    whole    Planetary    System; 
the  Moon   is  the   Giver  of   Life  to   our   Globe;   and  the   early   races  un- 
derstood  and   knew   it,    even   in   their    infancy." — The   Secret   Doctrine, 
Blavatsky,  Vol.  I.,  p.  415.     "It  is,  then,  the  Moon  that  plays  the  largest 
and  most  important  part,   as  well   in  the  formation  of  the   Earth   itself, 
as  in  the  peopling  thereof  with  human  beings.     The  Lunar  Monads,  or 
Pitris,  the  ancestors  of  man,  become  in  reality  man  himself." — Ibid,  Vol. 
I.,    p.    206. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  181 

by  first  projecting  from  themselves  into  the  centers' 
where  the  inert  matter  for  the  new  planet  was  sleep- 
ing in  darkness,  the  thought-forms  of  that  which 
was  to  be,  and  later  projected  their  astral  bodies. 
This  inert  matter  comprised  all  that  material  on 
all  planes  which  they,  in  the  course  of  their  evo- 
lution toward  Goclhood,  had  thrown  off  and  had 
not  had  the  opportunity  to  spiritualize  and  redeem. 
Hence  it  was  laid  aside  until  they  had  gained  the 
godlike  power  which  would  enable  them  con- 
sciously to  redeem  all  their  emanations  and  crea- 
tions. If  each  Soul  was  required  to  redeem  in  one 
life  all  its  mistakes  and  spiritualize  every  atom 
with  which  it  had  been  connected  in  even  one  life, 
the  Cycle  of  Necessity  would  be  never  ending.  In- 
stead of  this  all  tasks  that  are  beyond  the  strength 
of  the  Soul  in  any  one  incarnation  are  held  back 
until  it  has  grown  strong  enough  little  by  little  to 
work  them  out.  However,  the  essence  of  all  the 
mistakes  remains  with  the  evolving  planet  as  a  part 
of  the  World  Karma,  so  that  when  the  evolving 
Soul  reaches  the  pdint  where  it  can  begin  con- 
sciously to  redeem  its  leftovers  it  will  also  help 
to  redeem  the  same  influences  in  the  World  Karma. 
During  the  first  two  cyclic  day-periods2  of  the 
earth  the  Elohim  are  said  to  have  passed  "through 
the  whole  triple  cycle  of  the  mineral,  vegetable  and 
animal  kingdoms,  in  their  most  ethereal,  filmy  and 
rudimentary  forms,  in  order  to  clothe  themselves 
in,  and  assimilate,  the  nature  of  the  newly  formed 
Chain." 3  After  ethereal  human  forms  had  been 
evolved  by  these  Lunar  Fathers,  at  the  close  of  the 
third  day-period,  they  gradually  became  so  dense 

1  Called  laya-centers. 

2  Periods  of  activity  called  Rounds.     See  Chapter  XV 
*  Ibid,  Vol  I.,  p.  197. 


182  The  Voice  of  Isis 

that  it  may  be  said  that  they  clothed  themselves  in 
flesh — "coats  of  skin,"  as  the  Bible  puts  it.1  This 
was  done  consciously  for  the  sake  of  evolution  and 
experience,  and  not,  as  theology  teaches,  as  a  result 
of  a  "fall"  through  disobedience.  It  was  a  "fall" 
only  in  the  sense  of  a  descent  into  matter.  These 
human  forms,  created  and  informed  by  the  Lunar 
Fathers,  had  no  self-conscious  (only  animal)  mind 
(instinct),  and  could  not  continue  their  evolution 
until  they  had  been  endowed  with  human  mind 
(self-consciousness) . 

Animal  consciousness  attains  to  its  ultimate  per- 
fection in  reason  while  human  consciousness  attains 
to  its  ultimate  perfection  in  the  direct  knowledge 
gained  through  intuition.  As  the  whole  of  a  species 
is  guided  by  one  Group-soul,  instinct  is  the  power  of 
the  animal  to  respond  directly  to  the  consciousness 
of  the  Group-soul.  The  human-animal  being  guided 
by  his  own  Father-in-heaven  or  his  own  individual 
Soul,  in  intuition  consciously  recognizes  the  direct 
guiding  voice  of  his  divine  Higher  Self.  Hence 
intuition  stands  exactly  over  instinct  on  the  spiral 
path  of  evolution.  Both  are  the  voices  of  their  re- 
spective Souls,  in  the  animal  imparted  collectively 
to  the  species,  in  man  personally  to  the  individual. 

The  gift  of  mind  was  accomplished  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Fourth  Root  Race,  by  the  projection  into 
man  of  the  Divine  Spark  from  a  still  higher  class 
of  Spiritual  Beings,  the  Solar  Father  (Pitris).  It 
was  at  this  time  that  the  history  of  man  as  a  cor- 
poreal being  began. 

There  are  three  streams  of  evolution  going  on  in 
man  at  the  same  time,  each  advancing  along  its  own 
path  and  each  inextricably  interwoven  with  and  as- 

1  Genesis,  III,  21. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  183 

sisting  the  other.1  It  is  this  complexity  that  makes 
so  much  confusion  in  the  study  of  reincarnation. 
There  is  the  evolution  of  the  animal  body,  evolved 
and  informed  by  the  Lunar  Fathers;  the  evolution 
of  mind  emplanted  in  the  bodies  by  the  Sons  of  Mind, 
the  Solar  Fathers ;  and  the  evolution  of  character, 
which  is  the  result  of  the  overshadowing  Spirit — a 
Divine  Emanation  from  the  Absolute — working 
through  both  the  Solar  and  Lunar  Fathers  and 
forming  the  Divine  Indwteller,  the  God-within-us. 
The  history  of  humanity  shows  that  each  of  these 
lines  of  evolution  has  been  made  the  object  of  wor- 
ship, (a)  There  are  those  who  worship  the  perfection 
of  the  animal  body,  holding  that  their  first  duty  is 
to  bring  it  to  perfection,  maintain  its  health  and  pro- 
long its  life  upon  the  physical-plane.  Yet  prolonged 
life  in  a  physical  body,  without  spiritual  perfection, 
would  be  a  curse  rather  than  a  blessing.  This  doc- 
trine reached  its  greatest  perfection  among  the 
Greeks,  many  of  whom  are  now  reincarnating  and 
are  putting  forth  the  old  ideas,  (b)  There  are  those 
who  worship  the  mind,  considering  it  the  supreme 
power.  The  so-called  age  of  reason  in  reality  is  the  age 
of  the  worship  of  mind,  (c)  There  are  those  who  give 
exclusive  worship  to  the  studies  which  make  for  spir- 
itual advance,  even  at  the  expense  of  physical  and  intel- 
lectual life,  hermits  and  yogis  for  example.  Perfect 
evolution,  however,  can  be  obtained  only  when  the 
three  go  hand  in  hand,  for  spiritual  evolution  can 
manifest  perfectly  only  as  a  result  of  the  harmonious 
blending  of  all  three,  a  perfect  mind  in  a  perfect 
body,  illumined  by  spiritual  intuition.  The  above 
accounts  for  the  many  discrepancies  in  life  and  evo- 
lution, for  it  is  impossible  for  any  human  being  to 

1  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Vol.  I.,  9.  203. 


184  The  Voice  of  Isis 

say  that  one  is  more  advanced  than  another;  one 
may  be  advanced  along  one  line  while  another  may 
be  equally  as  advanced  along  another  line. 

Although  we  speak  of  the  Lunar  Fathers  as  our 
physical  Progenitors,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
they  are  Divine,  having  attained  at-one-ment  ere 
the  evolution  of  this  planet  began.  After  the  astral 
forms  or  models  were  produced  by  the  Lunar  Fath- 
ers, ''The  evolution  of  the  external  form,  or  body 
round  the  astral,  is  produced  by  the  terrestrial  forces, 
just  as  in  the  case  of  the  lower  kingdoms;  but  the 
evolution  of  the  internal,  or  real,  Man  is  purely  spir- 
itual. It  is  now  no  more  a  passage  of  the  impersonal 
Monad  through  many  and  various  forms  of  matter 
.  .  .  but  a  journey  of  the  'Pilgrim-Soul'  through 
various  states,  not  only  of  matter,  but  of  self-con- 
sciousness and  self-perception."  1  Thus  it  was  that, 
aided  by  the  Emanations  from  their  Progenitors, 
the  Celestial  Solar  Fathers — who  stand  to  the  Lunar 
Fathers  as  our  Higher  Self  stands  to  us — the  Lunar 
Fathers  become  the  Progenitors  of  humanity.  These 
great  classes  of  Spiritual  Fathers,  who  are  still  liv- 
ing and  guiding  human  evolution  from  the  higher 
realms,  are  the  Divine  Men  known  to  us  as  the 
Masters  of  Wisdom.  There  are  many  accounts  of 
the  presence  of  these  Divine  Men — the  gods — on 
earth,  founding  nations,  establishing  laws,  teaching 
and  guiding  humanity  face  to  face,  to  be  found  in 
the  sacred  writings  of  all  ancient  peoples,  many  of 
whom  still  claim  to  have  sprung  from  the  "gods." 

The  seven  great  groups  of  these  Spiritual  Beings 
are  classified  in  a  manner  similar  to  the  groups  of 
colors  in  our  solar  spectrum,  each  group  being 
called  a  Ray,  bearing  the  name  of  one  of  the  seven 

llbid,  Vol.  I.,  p.   198. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis 


185 


DIAGRAM  III.* 

The  Seven  Hierarchies  and  their  Subdivisions. 


Color-rays 

Sub-rays 

VIOLET 

VIOLET 
Indigo 
Blue 
Green 
Yellow 
Orange 
Red 

1 

INDIGO 

Violet 
INDIGO 
Blue                          §, 
Green                       ^ 
Yellow                     £ 
Orange 
Red 

BLUE 

Violet 
Indigo 
BLUE 
Green 
Yellow 
Orange 
Red 

§ 
pq 

GREEN 

Violet 
Indigo 
Blue 
GREEN 
Yellow 
Orange 
Red 

a 

e 

o 

YELLOW 

Violet 
Indigo 
Blue 
Green 
YELLOW 
Orange 
Red 

Yellow 

ORANGE 

Violet 
Indigo 
Blue 
Green 
Yellow 
ORANGE 
Red 

1 

c 

0 

RED 

Violet 
Indigo 
Blue 
Green 
Yellow 
Orange 
RED 

& 

*The  Secret  Doctrine,  Vol.  III.,  483. 


186  The  Voice  of  Isis 

colors,  viz.,  the  Red  Ray,  Yellow  Ray,  Violet  Ray, 
etc.  Just  as  the  colors  of  the  spectrum  are  emana- 
tions from  the  one  White  Light,  so  are  these  Spirit- 
ual Creators  emanations  from  the  Divine  One — 
the  Absolute.1  These  Rays  constitute  seven  great 
Hierarchies,  which  are  presided  over  by  seven  still 
greater  Celestial  Beings,2  each  of  whom  is  called 
the  Progenitor  or  Father  of  His  Ray.  It  must  be 
borne  in  mind,  however,  that  each  Ray  contains  rep- 
resentatives of  all  the  other  Rays.  (See  Diagram  III.) 
In  looking  at  the  sun  we  see  a  halo  composed  of  the 
seven  colors  in  concentric  rings.  These  rings  repre- 
sent the  Hierarchies  and  in  reality  conserve  the  forces 
of  the  colors  composing  them.  The  same  law  is  illus- 
trated in  the  rainbow  although  only  one  segment  of 
the  circle  is  visible. 

Each  great  Ray,  or  Hierarchy  of  Masters  mani- 
fests in  turn,  and,  like  the  notes  in  the  musical  scale, 
in  rhythmic  cadence,  its  Progenitor  or  Father  pre- 
siding during  its  manifestation  as  Captain  of  the 
Host.  All  the  Masters  belonging  to  a  Ray  are  most 
active  during  the  manifestation  of  their  Ray,  while 
those  belonging  to  all  the  other  Rays,  even  the  Pro- 
genitors, are,  for  that  period,  subservient  to  the  Ray 
that  is  manifesting  in  activity.  This  does  not  mean 
that  the  other  Rays  are  dormant,  but,  like  a  grand 
symphony,  when  one  note  or  Ray  is  dominant,  all 
the  others  are  complementary.  Thus  absolute  har- 
mony results.  While  we  say  a  certain  Ray  or  color 

1  While  there  can  be  but  one  God,  the  Absolute,  there  are  many 
gods,  t.  e.,  Spiritual,  Creative,  Emanations. 

•  The  Seven  Creative  Spirits,  the  Dhyan  Chohans,  who  correspond 
to  the  Hebrew  Elohim.  It  is  the  same  Hierarchy  of  Archangels  to 
which  St.  Michael,  St.  Gabriel,  and  others  belong,  in  Christian  The- 
pgony." — Ibid,  Vol.  I.,  p.  73.  "The  Seven  Spirits  of  God  sent  forth 
into  all  the  earth." — Revelation  V.  6,  "The  seven  spirits  which  are  be- 
fore his  throne." — Ibid,  I,  4.  "And  I  saw  the  seven  angels  which  stood 
before  God."— Ibid,  VIII.  2. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  187 

is  presiding,  in  reality  it  is  man's  consciousness  that 
is  passing  through  that  band  of  color  or  Ray  of  force 
and  consciousness,  learning  its  lessons  and  gaining 
its  forces.  For  example,  a  Celestial  Being  * 
is  the  Progenitor  or  Father  of  the  Red  Ray  or  Hier- 
archy of  Masters.  Under  Him  are  the  masters  of 
His  sub-rays  and  lesser  sub-rays,  and  so  on  down  to 
those  Souls  who  are  achieving  mastery  and  enter- 
ing the  ranks  from  the  races  now  on  earth.  It  is 
the  aggregate  of  all  these  Masters  that  is  known  to 
us  as  the  Great  White  Lodge.  It  is  called  the  White 
Lodge  because,  like  the  white  light,  it  is  the  har- 
monious blending  of  all  the  seven  Rays. 

The  Great  White  Lodge  is  divided,  just  as  is  human- 
ity, into  seven  great  classes  or  Degrees,  each  of  which 
is  sub-divided  into  seven  Orders.  The  seventh  or 
lowest  Order  of  The  Lodge  overlaps  or  blends  into 
humanity,  just  as  humanity  overlaps  or  blends  into 
the  animal  kingdom.1  Not  that  the  Masters  of  the 
lowest  Order  are  not  human,  but  more  than  human. 
The  Masters  of  this  lowest  Order  are  still  upon  the 
physical-plane,  using  physical  bodies  and  working 
with  and  teaching  humanity.  There  are  also  certain 
Orders  of  Masters  who  are  guiding  evolution  below 
the  human  kingdom  as  Group-souls. 

Each  of  the  Masters  composing  the  higher  De- 
grees is  the  Progenitor  or  Father  of  many  human 
beings ;  for,  while  gaining  the  perfected  wisdom  of 
former  planets  during  their  long  periods  of  evolu- 
tion, they  were  consciously  creating,  both  by  the 
power  of  Divine  Will  and  by  emanation.  Every 
emanation  of  their  life-substance,  and  every  cell 
composing  their  various  bodies,  has  now  evolved 
into  the  human  kingdom,  and  the  Master  of  Wis- 

^See  Chapter  III. 


188  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

dom  who  originally  sent  out  the  emanation  or  cell, 
is  called  its  spiritual  Father,  no  matter  what  its 
present  stage  of  evolution.  Hence,  all  mankind  are 
the  children  of  one  of  these  great  Spiritual  Crea- 
tors. In  the  same  manner  we  are  the  Progenitors, 
and  sometime  must  become  the  Guides  and  Saviors, 
of  .every  cell  that  has  composed  our  various  bodies 
in  all  our  incarnations,  as  well  as  all  the  creatures 
created  by  our  thoughts  and  desires,  when,  aeons 
hence,  they  have  evolved  to  a  point  analogous  to 
present  humanity ;  for  they  are  the  children  of  our  cre- 
ation. They  are  not,  however,  redeemed  as  individ- 
ual atoms,  but  as  more  or  less  composite  units. 
Each  separate  cell  does  not  evolve  into  a  separate 
human  being,  but  according  to  its  nature  and  stage 
of  evolution  when  cast  off  will  it  become  a  part  of 
an  organ  in  a  human  body.  Man's  body  therefore 
is  an  aggregation  of  many  sentient  lesser  centers  of 
consciousness,  hence  the  necessity  of  man's  ruling 
his  subconscious  mind  as  it  is  the  synthetic  prod- 
uct of  the  consciousness  of  the  lesser  centers. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  Fourth  Root  Race,  when 
humanity  were  but  children,  having  newly  received 
the  gift  of  self-consciousness  (mind),  they  were 
guided  and  taught  face  to  face  by  the  Fathers — the 
Elohim — just  as  a  father  and  mother  (for  these 
great  Beings  were  both  Father  and  Mother — an- 
drogynous)1 might  guide  and  teach  a  child.  But 
when  the  child  has  grown  to  manhood  it  must  leave 
its  parents'  guiding  care  and  go  out  alone  to  meet 
the  trials  and  temptations  of  the  world  and  prove 
how  much  of  the  parents'  teachings  it  has  built  into 
character.  This  is  \vhat  humanity  has  been  doing 

1  "In  the  days  that  God  created  man,  in  the  likeness  of  God  made 
he  him;  male  and  female  created  he  them;  and  blessed  them,  and 
called  their  name  Adam." — Genesis  V,  1-2.  It  was  from  the  androgynous 
first  Adam  that  Eve  was  taken  /.  e.,  the  sexes  were  separated. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  189 

ever  since  that  time ;  for  by  the  end  of  the  Fourth 
Root  Race  humanity  had  grown  up  and  become  dis- 
obedient. With  the  destruction  of  Atlantis  began 
the  individual  working  out  of  that  disobedience,  and 
an  endeavor  to  put  into  practice  the  lessons  learned. 
The  Red  Ray  is  now  manifesting  through  human- 
ity, and  has  been  for  an  immense  period  of  time 
(Fourth  Round),  the  whole  Bible  being  but  a  his- 
tory of  this  Ray.  Consequently  the  Great  Being 
*  *  *  who  is  the  Progenitor  of  that  Ray,  is  what 
might  be  called  the  Commander-in-chief  of  the 
forces  of  evolution  operative  throughout  this  cycle. 
Humanity  has  to  evolve  all  the  way  through  this 
Red  Ray,  from  its  lowest  sub-ray  to  its  highest. 
Having  passed  the  middle  point  of  its  densest  mani- 
festation, humanity  is  now  upon  the  upward  arc  to- 
ward more  spiritual  states  of  Being.  As  the  occult 
maxim,  "As  above,  so  below,"  and  vice  versa,  holds 
good  for  all  planes  and  all  laws — in  reality  there  be- 
ing but  one  Great  Law — to  form  a  conception  of 
what  lies  before  us  we  have  but  to  consider  what  the 
lower  aspects  of  red  stand  for.  Red  is  the  color  of 
the  blood  which,  in  the  body,  carries  the  life-force. 
Hence,  in  its  lower  aspects,  red  is  expressed  by 
anger,  passion,  war,  anarchy  and  bloodshed.  It  is 
through  these  expressions  of  the  force  of  the  Red 
Ray  that  humanity  has  been  struggling  until  it  has 
reached  the  point  where  the  lessons  of  the  lower 
octave  must  be  registered  in  the  higher.  The  life- 
blood  of  humanity  has  reached  the  point  where, 
laden  with  the  vileness  and  the  effluvia  of  animal 
man,  it  is  being  purified  by  the  Breath  of  the  Spirit, 
and  henceforth  must  take  on  a  new  tint,  just  as  the 
physical  blood  is  purified  and  changes  its  color  in  the 
lungs.  Anger  purified  becomes  love-force  and  en- 


190  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

ergy  that  will  conquer  all  difficulties ;  passion  must 
be  turned  to  fervor  and  ardor  for  spiritual  union ; 
war  turned  to  spiritual  warfare,  where  good  tri- 
umphs over  evil,  light  over  darkness ;  anarchy  be- 
comes the  one  Law  of  Brotherhood ;  bloodshed  be- 
comes the  pouring  out  of  the  spiritual  life-force,  for 
as  blood  carries  the  physical  life-force  its  corre- 
spondence on  the  higher  planes  is  the  vehicle  for  the 
spiritual  life-force.  The  highest  tint  will  be  reached 
when  the  Spiritual  Sun  shines  through  this  Red  Ray, 
and  permeates  it  and  brings  out  the  rose  tint  of  Christ- 
love  and  Brotherhood. 

The  vision  of  St.  John,  as  portrayed  in  the  Book 
of  Revelation,  and  commonly  accepted  as  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  end  of  the  world,  is  simply  the  winding 
up  of  the  dominance  of  the  Red  Ray.  Although  the 
same  symbolic  teachings  are  given  in  the  Book  of 
Enoch,  it  does  not  mean  that  St.  John  copied  from 
Enoch,  but  that  both  were  teaching  the  same  uni- 
versal truths  received  from  the  same  divine  Progen- 
itor. 

In  the  Bible  much  prominence  is  given  to  the 
word  blood  and  "The  blood  of  the  Lamb  which  was 
slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world."  This  refers 
to  the  force  of  the  Red  Ray,  which  is  the  life-blood 
of  humanity,  predominating  as  it  does  at  the  begin- 
ning of  every  sub-race,  and  thus  running  through 
and  permeating  the  whole  Root  Race.  Those 
"which  came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have 
washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb"  J  are  the  ones  who  have  learned 
the  lessons  of  the  Red  Ray — the  lessons  of  the  vital 
life-force — and  have  thus  washed  their  garments 
(body)  white  and  pure  in  the  stream  of  living  spir- 

1  Revelation  VII,   13-14. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  191 

itual  force.  They  are  those  who  have  fought  the 
good  fight  and  are  crowned  victors,  ready  to  take 
up  the  lessons  of  the  next  dominant  Ray.  Only  by 
evolution  through  all  that  pertains  to  the  Red  Ray 
(spiritual  life-force  of  the  Soul — its  blood,  so  to 
speak)  can  humanity  be  washed  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb  and  be  redeemed. 

Certain  texts  in  the  Bible  regarding  blood  which 
which  are  repulsive1  and  inhuman  in  their  exoteric 
meaning,  if  looked  at  in  the  light  of  the  above  ex- 
planation, at  once  take  on  a  new  significance.  Even 
that  most  abused  and  revolting  hymn — 

"There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood 
Drawn  from  Emmanuel's  veins, 

And  sinners  plunge  beneath  that  flood 
Loose  all  their  guilty  stains" 

becomes  quite  comprehensible  when  viewed  from 
this  standpoint.  You  have  no  real  spiritual  life  in 
you  until  you  have  correlated  with  the  higher  as- 
pect of  the  Red  Ray  which  is,  indeed,  the  Blood  of 
The  Christ. 


1  "Except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the   Son  of  man,  and  drink  his  blood, 
ye  have  no  life  in  you." — St.  John  VI,  53-55. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  LAW. 

"Love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law."  Romans. 
XIII.  10. 

"Study  the  hearts  of  men,  that  you  may  know 
what  is  that  world  in  which  you  live  and  of 
which  you  will  be  a  part.  Regard  the  constantly 
changing  and  moving  life  which  surrounds  you, 
for  it  is  formed  by  the  hearts  of  men ;  and  as  you 
learn  to  understand  their  constitution  and  mean- 
ing, you  will  by  degrees  be  able  to  read  the  larger 
word  of  life  (Law)."— Light  on  the  Path,  Rule  12. 

All  life  is  law.  There  is  but  one  law,  Love.  All 
life  and  all  law  is  vibration.  Hence  the  Law  of  Love 
must  manifest  through  the  whole  gamut  of  vibration, 
becoming  thus  both  the  Law  and  the  fulfilling  of 
the  Law. 

When  God  (Love,  Law)  sent  His  only  begotten  Son 
(the  Light)  to  earth,  there  shot  forth  a  great  shaft  of 
living  fire,  vibrant  with  creative  force,  into  the  dark- 
ness (the  germs  of  unmanifested  life)  where  at  once 
a  cyclic  motion  was  begun  in  every  atom,  and  all 
things  began  their  cyclic  evolution — worlds,  creatures, 
atoms,  each  with  its  own  innate  potency  awakened 
to  activity  by  the  light,1  the  Spirit  or  Breath  which 
moved  on  the  face  of  the  waters.  Some  faint  concep- 
tion of  how  this  ray  of  force  cleaves  the  darkness  can 
be  gathered  by  watching  a  skyrocket  shooting  up  into 
the  blackness  of  the  night.  For  some  distance  it  is 
apparently  a  solid  shaft  of  fire,  yet  in  reality  every 
particle  is  in  rapid  cyclic  vibration;  every  molecule 
is  swirling  at  a  high  rate,  and  only  because  of  this 
vibratory  force  is  the  rocket  propelled  onward.  The 

1  See  Chapter  XXIV. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  193 

law  followed  by  the  tiny  atoms  of  fire  in  the  path  of 
the  rocket  is  the  same  law  that  governs  worlds,  planets, 
suns  and  systems.  Each  turns  around  its  own  axis, 
yet  all  continue  upon  their  own  appointed  paths  upward 
and  onward  into  new  regions.  While  each  turns  upon 
its  own  axis  and  circles  around  its  own  sun,  still  the 
whole  universe  is  being  propelled  onward  through 
space,  changing  conditions  through  which  it  passes 
and  by  the  very  force  of  its  cyclic  vibration  setting  all 
it  contacts  into  a  motion  of  its  own.  It  is  this  great 
Law,  Divine  Love,  which  creates  all  things  and  holds 
them  to  their  appointed  paths,  that  they  may  evolve 
their  germs  of  good  and  transmute  their  germs  of  evil, 
for  evil  is  but  opposition  to  the  Law. 

The  Light  is  the  first-born  and  only  begotten  Son 
of  God  for  it  is  the  first  expression  of  God-force  or 
Love  to  manifest,  just  as  terrestrial  light  is  the  primeval 
manifestations  of  our  visible  sun — and  light  includes 
within  itself  all  vibrations.  Just  as  the  rays  of  the  sun 
start  the  seed  to  growing  in  the  earth  and  ultimately 
draw  back  again  the  force  of  the  perfected  tree,  so 
the  only  begotten  Son  of  God,  through  Love,  both 
plants  the  seed  of  Immortality  in  earth  conditions, 
matures  it  and  brings  it  to  perfection,  that  it  may  be 
indrawn  into  the  Father. 

The  Law  manifests  in  seven  major  aspects:  (1) 
Order,  (2)  Compensation,  (3)  Cause  and  Effect  or 
Karma,  (4)  Vibration,  (5)  Cycles  or  Periodicity,  (6) 
Polarity,  and  (7)  Balance  or  Poise.  No  one  aspect 
manifests  alone,  but  while  each  may  predominate  in 
turn  all  the  others  manifest  at  the  same  time  as 
subordinate  factors. 

( 1 )  Order.  Not  a  grain  of  sand  blown  by  the  wind 
on  the  seashore  but  is  following  the  Law  as  order,  for 
the  wind  acts  as  the  servant  of  the  Law,  there  being  no 


194  The  Voice  of  Isis 

such  thing  as  chance.  Everything  in  life  comes  in  or- 
derly sequence.  Nothing  can  come  into  your  life  out- 
side of  this  law.  There  is  always  a  place  and  a  time 
for  everything  and  a  reason  why  it  comes.  It  is  ac- 
cording to  the  Law  as  orderly  sequence.  Everything 
is  brought  to  you  at  just  the  right  time  and  place  to 
bring  to  you  the  help  or  the  lesson  needed  to  take 
your  next  step.  All  comes  to  you  through  Divine 
Love. 

(2)  Compensation.     The  Law  works  as  compensa- 
tion in  that  in  every  experience,  be  it  painful  or  other- 
wise, there  is  a  compensating  power  to  be  gained  or 
a  reward  which  is  well  worth  the  suffering  necessary 
to  build  it  into  Soul-growth.     This  is  also  Love.    "A 
woman  when  she  is  in  travail  hath  sorrow,  because  her 
hour  is  come:  but  as  soon  as  she  is  delivered  of  the 
child,  she  remembereth  no  more  the  anguish,  for  joy 
that  a  man  is  born  into  the  world."  1     In  the  lower 
forms  of  life  when  an  eye,  for  instance,  is  needed,  it 
is  gradually  developed  by  the  extreme  sensitiveness 
acquired  by   the   repeated   stimulations   given   to   the 
nerves  of  a  certain  part  by  the  continual  bumping  of 
the  organism  into  objects  which  it  cannot  see  to  avoid. 
The  compensation  is  an  organ  of  sight. 

(3)  Cause    and    Effect    or    Karma.      Inextricably 
blended  with  the  Law  as  Compensation  is  that  aspect 
known  as  Karma.    That  is,  effects  of  causes  set  up  in 
previous  times  or  former  lives  are  brought  to  you  in 
orderly  sequence  to  be  worked  out,  and  in  turn  to  set 
up  fresh  causes.     The  great  point  to  understand  in 
this  manifestation  of  the  Law  is  that  Karma  is  neither 
a  reward  nor  a  punishment  for  past  deeds — and  still 
less  is  it  an  avenging  Nemesis  remorselessly  exacting 
"an  eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth" — but  is 

*St.  John  XVI.,  21. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  195 

the  effect  of  causes  in  the  sense  that  it  brings  to  the 
Soul  the  opportunity  to  learn  certain  lessons  which  it 
has  not  learned  in  a  past  life,  hence  which  the  Law 
of  Love  brings  to  it  through  this  manifestation  that  it 
may  gain  the  Soul-quality  needed  for  further  progress. 

(4)  Vibration.    All  the  events  which  are  brought 
into  your  life  in  orderly  sequence  with  the  intention  of 
compensating  you  are  brought  through  the  aspect  of 
cause    and    effect    by    the    Law    as    Vibration.      This 
teaches  you  to  correlate  and  attune  yourself  to  the 
infinite  vibrations  of  Divine  Harmony  so  that  through 
the  Law  as  Vibration  the  evil  or  inharmonious  aspects 
of  life  may  be  dissipated  and  the  rhythm  of  all  life 
be  attuned  to  the  Infinite. 

(5)  Cycles  or  Periodicity.     There  can  be  no  con- 
cept of  life  outside  of  or  apart  from  vibration,  and  all 
vibration   is   cyclic.      Everything   manifests    in    cycles 
from  the  sprouting  of  the  tiniest  blade  of  grass,  its 
fruition  and  decay  to  the  times  and  seasons  of  suns 
and  systems  (manvantaras  and  pralayas).   Every  event 
is  governed  by  cycles,  a  period  of  activity,  a  period  of 
rest,    corresponding    to    the    downward    and    upward 
sweep  of  manifestation  and  obscuration  or  the  out- 
breathing   and    inbreathing   of   the    Great    Breath    of 
Brahm.     The  life  of  each  individual  is  also  governed 
by  cycles  within  cycles.    All  students  notice  periods  of 
great  spiritual  uplift  followed  by  periods  of  depression 
and  deadness.    These  extremes  can  only  be  overcome 
by  a  knowledge  of  the  Law  as  Periodicity  or  Cycles. 
When  the  period  of  depression  comes  balance  it  with 
the  force  received  during  the  exaltation.     Recognize 
that  it  is  the  period  of  inbreathing,  the  time  to  indraw 
and  digest  the  lessons  of  the  active  period.    Only  thus 
can  Balance  or  Poise  be  attained. 


196  The  Voice  of  Isis 

(6)  Polarity.  Until  all  the  aspects  of  the  Law  have 
been  brought  into  perfect  oolarity  and  attuned 
to  the  divine  rhythm  of  the  great  Law  of  Love,  Polarity 
is  broken  up  into  many  lesser  polarities  which  manifest 
under  the  Law  of  Opposites,  good  and  evil,  light  and 
darkness,  male  and  female,  etc.  If  we  break  a  magnet 
into  a  thousand  pieces  each  piece  will  have  its  positive 
and  negative  pole,  but  its  power  will  be  but  a  faint 
reflection  of  the  power  manifested  in  the  one.  When 
true  Polarity  is  attained  all  will  be  in  perfect  harmony 
with  the  positive  pole  of  Divine  Love,  the  negative 
pole  of  human  love  reaching  up  unwaveringly  and 
merging  itself  into  that  Love,  and  all  the  forces  inter- 
acting in  perfect  rhythm  from  pole  to  pole.  The 
polarity  of  the  Law  has  literally  been  broken  and  sep- 
arated into  its  various  aspects  instead  of  manifesting 
in  its  entirety.  Man  through  his  disobedience  has 
broken  the  Law,  yet  he  must  become  one  with  the 
Law,  or  the  Hammer  of  Thor  will  break  him  in  pieces. 
Just  as  a  ray  of  white  light  in  passing  through  a 
prism  is  broken  up  into  its  seven  aspects  or  colors,  each 
manifesting  an  individual  force,  so  the  Law  of  Love 
in  passing  through  the  dense  darkness  of  physical  life 
is  broken  up  and  deflected  so  that  its  seven  aspects 
work  individually,  bringing  about  chaotic  conditions. 
If  we  isolate  the  red  ray,  at  one  extreme  of  the  solar 
spectrum,  its  effect  would  be  heat  and  over-excitement 
tending  toward  feverish  and  inflammatory  conditions, 
with  little  illuminating  power.  At  the  other  extreme 
of  the  spectrum  the  action  of  the  violet  ray  would  be  to 
kill  low  forms  of  life — both  bacterial  and  organized 
cell  life — and  in  higher  forms  to  cause  disorganiza- 
tion and  insanity.  And  each  of  the  other  color  rays 
has  been  found  to  have  its  own  special  action  which 
when  separated  from  the  others  is  inimical  to  man; 


The  Voice  of  Isis  197 

but  each  vhen  used  with  wisdom  or  synthesised  into 
white  light  contains  a  quality  of  helpfulness.  In  fact, 
these  various  ajpects  are  the  forces,  each  with  its  own 
individual  work  to  do,  alluded  to  as  the  "seven  Sons 
of  Fohat"  or  the  seven  differing  manifestations  of 
Force,  all  of  them  contained  within  the  one  white 
light  of  Divinity.  Only  when  these  seven  Sons  are 
united  in  their  parent  ray  can  there  be  light,  for  while 
separated  they  manifest  color  rather  than  light.  So  it 
is  with  the  Law  of  Divine  Love.  When  the  Law  is 
broken  and  its  differing  aspects  strive  to  work  indi- 
vidually-, as  they  do  in  this  world  of  effects,  there  is  con- 
fusion, darkness  and  a  turning  away  from  God  or 
a  manifesting  of  the  opposite  pole  of  Good,  evil.  But 
in  reality  this  is  only  a  lack  of  positive  polarization. 

(7)  Balance  or  Poise.  The  heart  of  these  various 
activities  of  the  Law  is  Balance  or  Poise.  For  only 
when  Poise  is  attained  or  that  center  where  vibration 
is  so  rapid  as  to  be  peace  can  all  the  aspects  of  the 
Law  be  synthesised  and  perfected. 

All  temptations  met  with  on  the  Path  come  through 
the  various  aspects  of  Love,  even  Jesus  in  the  wilder- 
ness, being  obliged  to  face  and  conquer  the  love  of 
power,  dominion  and  ambition.1  On  earth  we  see  Love 
manifesting  as  love  of  gold,  love  of  power,  love  of 
self,  love  of  pleasure,  love  of  animal  gratification  and 
so  forth,  all  perverted  or  negative  polarizations  of 
Divine  Love.  Divine  Love  and  human  love  are  often 
thought  of  as  quite  separate  while  in  reality  they  are 
but  opposite  poles  of  the  One  Force.  There  is  no 
manifestation  of  the  Law  on  earth  capable  of  touching 
the  depths,  or  reaching  the  heights  in  its  cyclic  sweep 
as  Polarity  or  human  love  when  not  wedded  to  Wis- 
dom. Through  Love  perverted  has  man  touched  the 

1  St.   M  aft  hew  IV..    1-11. 


198  The  Voice  of  Isis 

depths  of  degradation,  yet  because  Love  is  the  Divine 
Law,  One  from  the  beginning,  it  must  forever  sweep 
upward  and  onward,  and  like  a  mighty  whirlwind 
gather  up  all  it  touches.  In  its  journey  back  to 
its  source  Love  gathers  up  and  synthesises  its  seven 
manifestations  and  thus  fulfills  the  whole  Law  of  Being. 
"God  is  Love"  and  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He 
sent  His  only  begotten  Son  ( Light  or  Love  made  mani- 
fest) to  descend  into  the  darkness  of  the  unmanifested 
mass  of  substance  (matter)  that  out  of  it  Love  might 
work  the  fulfillment  of  the  Law.  From  the  earliest 
dawn  of  creative  thought  to  the  present  moment  has 
Love  thus  worked  its  way  up  through  matter. 

Many  say  that  before  Jesus  came  there  was  but 
the  thundering  of  the  inexorable  Law  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment or  what  the  Hindus  call  Karma,  but  that  Jesus 
came  to  substitute  for  the  Law  the  glad  tidings  of 
redemption  through  Love.  But  Jesus  Himself  says: 
"I  came  not  to  destroy  the  Law  but  to  fulfill  it."  The 
Law  which  we  are  wont  to  call  inexorable  justice  in 
reality  could  be  neither  just  nor  inexorable  were 
Love  left  out,  for  Love  is  the  one  and  only  reality 
which  endures  from  eternity  to  eternity.  Hence  Jesus 
the  perfected  man  did  not  come  to  do  away  with  the 
Law  but  to  straighten  out  man's  misconceptions  of  it ; 
to  emphasize  the  fact  that  justice  becomes  injustice  and 
cruelty  when  Love  is  left  out ;  that  Law  is  Love,  and 
that  which  we  look  upon  as  an  awful  inexorable  pun- 
ishment is  in  reality  but  the  force  of  Love  striving  to 
counteract  man's  disobedience  to  the  Law  and  lead 
him  back  into  the  path  where  Love  alone  can  redeem. 
Hence  the  glad  tidings  of  Jesus  were  simply  to  point 
out  to  the  world  that  Love  is  the  fulfillment  of  the 
Law ;  is  the  recognition  that  the  Law  is  Love,  and  that 
only  through  Love  can  it  be  fulfilled.  There  can  be  no 


The  Voice  of  Isis  199 

punishment,  injustice  or  fear  for  those  who  recognize 
and  live  at  one  with  the  Law  of  Love. 

A  careful  analysis  will  show  that  every  test,  trial 
or  temptation  is  brought  about  through  the  nega- 
tive polarization  of  Love,  by  a  breaking  up  of  the 
Law,  a  refusing  to  find  balance  and  a  consequent 
revolving  around  an  individual  center,  a  getting  out 
of  harmony  with  that  which  keeps  all  things  in  their 
appointed  paths.  This  negative  polarization  is  the 
cause  of  so  many  unhappy  marriages.  Man  feels  the 
stirring  of  the  Divine  Love-force  within,  pushing  his 
whole  nature  onward  toward  God-consciousness,  and 
instead  of  at  once  polarizing  himself  to  this  Divine 
Love  he  often  seeks  to  polarize  himself  to  some  human 
love  which  the  Law  does  not  bring  to  him  and  thereby 
forces  both  himself  and  that  other  out  of  harmony 
with  the  Law.  And  sooner  or  later  the  Divine  Fire  in 
both  atoms  must  die  out  and  like  burned  out  cinders 
they  fall  back  to  earth  filled  with  disappointment,  sor- 
row and  coldness.  He  fails  to  realize  that  just  as  he 
focuses  his  consciousness  upon  the  positive  pole,  all 
that  belongs  to  him — his  own,  the  little  swirling  love- 
atom  that  is  his  earthly  complement — must  come  to 
him  as  he  becomes  one  with  the  Law,  for  its  lawful 
place  is  by  his  side  and  without  its  help  he  could  not 
fulfill  the  Law  of  Love. 

Heretofore  man  has  been  misapplying  the  Law  and 
placing  himself  under  its  negative  aspect — evil — and 
through  the  ensuing  suffering  has  been  learning  to 
lift  up  his  eyes  afar  off  and  long  for  his  Father's 
home.  But  the  time  will  come  when  man  must  bal- 
ance the  effect  of  the  negative  aspect — suffering — by 
manifesting  under  the  positive  aspect — Love — and  reap 
his  reward.  The  suffering  may  be  the  means^of  turn- 
ing man  God-ward,  but  the  ultimate  knowing  of  God 


200  The  Voice  of  Isis 

can  only  come  through  Love.  The  negative  aspect  of 
Divine  Love  has  evolved  up  through  humanity  until 
the  turning  point  was  reached,  and  now  the  positive 
aspect  must  come  into  manifestation.  Jesus  outlined  to 
the  world  a  grander  conception  of  the  Divine  Law  in 
what  is  known  as  the  New  Dispensation,  but  it  takes 
very  little  thought  to  realize  that  this  New  Dispensa- 
tion has  never  yet  manifested  in  humanity  as  a  whole ; 
it  has  never  been  more  than  a  grand  ideal  to  which 
only  a  few  isolated  examples  have  attained.  This 
New  Dispensation  can  never  be  realized  until  man 
begins  to  polarize  his  whole  life  to  Divine  Love  and 
manifest  its  positive  or  good  aspect  as  he  has  its 
negative  or  evil,  thus  gaining  perfect  equilibrium. 

This  is  the  esoteric  meaning  of  the  injunction,  "Seek 
ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  his  righteousness ; 
and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you."  In 
other  words  when  you  have  polarized  all  your  life  and 
love  to  Divine  Love  and  when  you  are  living  thus 
harmonized  to  your  proper  place  in  the  stream  all 
that  is  yours  must  be  swept  onward  with  you.  As 
long  as  you  refuse  to  understand  the  Law  and  think 
of  yourself  as  an  atom  separated  from  the  mass  or 
pick  out  for  yourself  another  atom  to  revolve  around 
you  are  destined  to  remain  in  the  negative  polarization 
and  fall  to  earth  again  and  again,  as  do  the  sparks 
in  the  sky-rocket  which  have  lost  their  oneness  with 
its  fiery  heart. 

"Men  loved  darkness  rather  than  light,  because 
their  deeds  were  evil."  Their  deeds  may  not  be 
absolutely  wicked  but  thev  tend  away  from  the  positive 
pole  of  Light  (Divine  Love)  and  hence  must  mani- 
fest darkness  rather  than  light.  The  lesson  to  be 
learned  is  that  you  do  not  have  to  seek  for  something 
afar  off  or  foreign  to  your  nature,  for  you  are  living 


The  Voice  of  Isis  201 

in  a  world  of  love,  created  by  a  Love  which  embraces 
every  atom  in  the  universe  in  its  fiery  Heart ;  that  you 
will  suffer  until  you  learn  to  desire  the  Light;  that 
Light  (Love)  is  turned  into  darkness  as  long  as  it  is 
broken  up  into  lesser  loves.  There  is  but  one  way, 
the  way  of  The  Christ,  the  only  begotten  Son  (the 
Light)  which  is  the  way,  the  truth  and  the  life.  You 
must  deliberately  turn  your  heart  toward  Divine  Love 
and  realize  that  the  instant  you  thus  turn  you  are 
vibrating  with  the  stream  and  must  of  necessity  be 
swept  onward  and  upward  and  must  draw  with  you 
every  other  atom  that  is  in  any  way  harmonized  to 
you.  Then  help,  strength,  power,  comradeship  and 
love  must  come  to  you  because  you  are  harmonized 
to  the  stream  of  Divine  Love  which  is  ever  working 
toward  perfection.  You  suffer  only  as  you  get  out  of 
harmony  with  the  Law  by  passing  it  through  the  prism 
of  your  lower  personality  and  hence  producing  various 
colors  rather  than  light. 

The  world  is  struggling  in  the  stream.  The  rocket 
has  been  shot  from  its  mortar  and  cleaves  the  darkness 
in  one  swirling  stream  of  fiery  particles.  Many  in 
the  stream  know  not  whither  they  are  bound,  but 
they  are  in  the  fiery  current.  They  whirl  round  and 
round,  each  little  Soul  a  vortex  of  fire,  each  cycle  of 
each  spark  .seeming  to  be  a  complete  universe  shutting 
out  all  else,  apparently  vibrating  to  some  force  whose 
center  is  within  the  atom,  yet  in  reality  all  are  being 
drawn  onward  and  upward  in  Love  in  a  straight  line 
back  to  the  source  whence  they  came,  as  the  fire  and 
force  of  the  rocket  are  drawn  to  their  source,  the 
sun — the  storehouse  of  both  light  and  force — while 
that  which  belongs  to  earth — the  stick  and  the  ashes — 
fall  back  to  earth.  Love  fulfills  the  Law  for  each 
atom,  for  each  Soul.  The  lessons  of  each  are  brought 


202  The  Voice  of  Isis 

by  Love.  Only  the  hearts  that  are  cold  and  dead  to 
Divine  Love  and  persistently  seek  some  human  polar- 
ization fall  back  to  earth  as  cinders,  those  that  are 
alive  and  glowing  sweep  ever  on. 

As  you  go  out  into  the  world  you  must  dwell  in 
this  current  of  Divine  Love,  and  as  you  feel  its  force 
thrilling  through  you  know  well  that  its  center  is 
not  in  the  little  puny  life  round  which  you  revolve,  but 
in  the  Heart  of  the  One  Life ;  that  the  main  lesson  is 
not  that  you  find  satisfaction  in  being  in  the  stream,  but 
that  you  lend  the  fire  in  your  heart  toward  propelling 
the  rocket  ever  higher,  and  that  fire  within  must  be 
the  indwelling  Christ-force.  The  positive  pole  cannot 
manifest  without  the  negative  pole ;  the  Divine  cannot 
manifest  without  stirring  up  earth  conditions.  Your 
temptations  will  come  through  Love;  that  which  is 
purest  will  seem  to  stir  up  the  most  impurity;  that 
which  is  Divine  will  bring  sorrow  and  discourage- 
ment. How  then  shall  you  become  one  with  the 
Law?  By  polarizing  your  love  to  Divine  Love,  by 
merging  your  spark  into  the  heart  of  the  vortex  where 
all  is  rest  and  harmony  and  peace. 

This  is  the  work  of  this  Order,  and  this  is  your 
work.  You  cannot  expect  the  world  to  attain  peace 
and  love  unless  you  manifest  peace  and  love,  not 
merely  to  one  atom,  but  to  all.  You  must  demon- 
strate your  ability  to  stand  still  amid  the  swirling 
currents  of  life  and  hold  on  to  the  center  of  the 
whirlwind,  the  Heart  of  Love.  Recognize  that  the 
turbulence  and  disasters  and  sufferings  are  but  the 
results  of  the  outpourings  of  Divine  Love;  that  they 
come  not  as  karmic  retribution  but  that  through  the 
vibrations  of  Love  the  Law  may  be  fulfilled.  You 
must  lend  your  love  to  make  this  Order  a  great  fiery 
stream  of  Divine  Love  that  shall  draw  to  it  and  make 


The  Voice  of  Isis  203 

glowing  all  the  little  fiery  hearts  that  are  following 
crooked  paths  and  growing  cold  and  falling  back  into 
the  darkness.  Your  mission  is  to  point  out  how  that 
which  is  apparently  evil  can  be  polarized  to  good, 
how  discouragement  can  be  turned  into  ardor,  how 
suffering  can  be  turned  to  joy. 

Study  the  lessons  in  the  Book  of  Life.  On  every 
page  will  you  find  the  word  Love.  Many  pages  may 
be  clouded  and  obscured,  many  may  be  almost  obliter- 
ated with  tears,  many  may  be  besmirched  with  mire, 
but  because  you  have  been  drawn  into  this  fiery 
stream  of  Divine  Love  you  will  have  the  power  to 
decipher  the  pages,  to  trace  the  story  of  the  Love  that 
has  been  guiding  you  through  all  the  darkened,  sor- 
rowful pages.  You  can  show  the  stricken  ones  and 
the  heart-hungry  that  they  are  still  in  the  stream; 
that  it  is  Love  that  is  leading  and  guiding  them; 
that  the  Law  is  whirling  them  round  and  round  only 
to  bring  them  and  theirs  back  to  God ;  that  there  are 
other  pages  in  the  book,  pure  and  unsullied,  whereon 
they  may  learn  to  write  their  names. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

WORLD  CHAINS. 

"Thus  the  heavens  and  the  earth  were  finished, 
and  all  the  host  of  them.  And  on  the  seventh  day 
God  ended  his  work  which  he  had  made." — 
Genesis,  II,  1-2. 

"Whirling,  glowing  ether,  fluidic  but  cohesive, 
throwing  off  sparks.  Encountering  moist  air  it  sends 
up  clouds  of  vapor  in  its  rapid  motion.  The  Great 
Mother  sends  out  her  breath  to  blow  cool  and  moist 
upon  the  fiery  offshoots  of  the  Father.  Little  by  little 
it  gathers  density  until  the  children  suited  to  its 
condition  begin  to  move  in  its  fiery  heart  like  tiny 
flames,  yet  flames  that  have  life  and  independent 
motion.  All  life  is  now  'gaseous  light.'  The  spirits 
of  the  gases  hover  over  the  glowing  vapory  mass. 
They  fan  it  with  their  wings  that-  it  may  cool  and 
harden.  Within  the  womb  of  the  World  Mother 
an  infant  globe  slowly  takes  form.  At  last  upon  this 
whirling  sphere  there  descends,  in  one  great  rush,  the 
spirits  of  the  Great  Ones  destined  to  prepare  this 
ethereal  dwelling  place  for  humanity.  These  are  men 
indeed,  MEN,  Divine  Men,  Manus,  who  reached 
their  godlike  state  on  former  chains  of  worlds.  They 
begin  their  work  on  the  first  and  earliest  globe  of  this 
chain  in  its  most  ethereal  condition.  Their  work  is 
to  inform  and  prepare  this  life-essence  for  future  use. 

"They  blow  their  cool  breath  upon  the  glowing 
vapory  globe  and  lo!  it  solidifies  into  the  prototypes 
of  that  which  becomes  rock  and  mineral,  imprisoning 
the  Spirit  of  Life.  Their  life  blood  becomes  currents 
of  living  force.  They  hover  over  the  face  of  the 


The  Voice  of  Isis  205 

Great  Deep.  Into  the  waters  they  breathe  their  life 
breath  and  the  waters  are  filled  with  innumerable 
living  forms.  From  the  waters  and  the  cooling  rocks 
a  great  mist  arises.1  It  is  the  Spirit  or  life-element 
of  the  coming  humanity.  It  separates  into  masses. 
They  take  form  and  become  ethereal  beings  floating 
like  clouds  over  the  still  ethereal  planet.  Through  all 
this  first  Round  the  Creators  are  engaged  in  pre- 
paring the  earth,  informing  the  prototypes  of  that 
which  is  to  be.  It  is  the  breath  of  their  nostrils,  the 
blood-stream  of  their  life  forces  that  is  both  trans- 
forming and  reappearing  in  the  life  of  the  elements. 
"Ere  the  earliest  types  are  ready  to  take  on  denser 
ethereal  forms  they  pass  into  a  sleep,  which  in  this 
early  stage  is  but  a  slight  cooling  down  of  the  globe. 
Then  a  new  day  dawns,  the  Second  Round.  A  new 
form  of  life  appears,  the  vegetable.  Once  more  must 
the  Parents  of  the  Race  guide  the  pure  but  as  yet 
incorporeal  beings,  the  Second  Race,  and  teach  them 
how  to  inform  the  planet.  The  Manus  must  enter, 
through  the  breath  of  their  nostrils,  into  the  forma- 
tion of  the  new  globe.  They  must  permeate  the  min- 
eral to  give  it  consciousness  and  penetrate  the  vege- 
table, very  like  the  water  of  the  ocean  flowing  through 
coral  or  some  spongy  substance,  leaving  behind  its 
informing  principle.  As  yet  humanity  is  globular  and 
ethereal,  but  must  become  acquainted  with  the  globe 
on  which  it  dwells.  It  becomes  the  mineral,  the  stone, 
the  water,  the  air.  The  oceans  are  of  carbonic  acid, 
and  the  air  is  saturated  with  its  evaporation.  Gigantic 
trees  form  from  the  carboniferous  exhalations  of  the 
early  Races.  The  immense  coal  beds  were  thus  cre- 
ated by  the  informing  Beings,  the  Progenitors  of  the 
coming  humanity. 

1  See  Genesis  II.,  6. 


206  The  Voice  of  Isis 

"After  a  pralayic  night  of  short  duration  they  are 
ready  for  a  new  globe ;  they  awaken  to  a  new  condi- 
tion, the  Third  Round.  Different  strata  have  been 
formed.  The  earth's  crust  has  formed  over  the  min- 
erals and  the  giant  trees.  Now  gigantic  reptiles  and 
beasts  roam  the  earth,  with  bodies  and  functions 
adapted  to  the  existing  conditions.  Humanity  is  not 
yet  ready  to  take  solid  form. 

"In  the  Fourth  Round  humanity  falls  into  genera- 
tion ;  is  endowed  with  mind  by  the  Sons  of  Mind. 
God  breathes  into  man's  nostrils  the  breath  of  life  and 
he  becomes  a  living  Soul.  As  humanity  reaches  the 
lowest  point  of  this  Fourth  Round,  the  human  body 
solidifies.  The  spiritual  powers  and  psychic  faculties 
are  now  limited  and  all  but  lost  in  the  dense  physical 
envelope;  mind  begins  to  develop.  From  this  point 
onward  man  must  work  out  his  own  redemption,  to- 
gether with  that  of  the  earth.  Up  to  this  time  his 
evolution  and  that  of  the  earth  had  been  guided  and 
directed  by  the  Manus  or  the  Rishis,  the  Progenitors 
of  all  that  lives  and  breathes  on  Earth." 

The  above  is  an  extract  from  a  cryptic  lesson  given 
by  the  Master  to  the  Order  explaining  the  formation 
of  a  World  Chain,  but  which  the  limits  of  this  lesson 
are  far  too  short  to  fully  explain.  However,  although 
there  has  been  much  speculation  and  much  confusion 
in  the  minds  of  students  concerning  these  World 
Chains,  we  will  endeavor  to  explain  herein  only  certain 
of  their  most  practical  phases,  for  a  complete  under- 
standing of  the  subject  belongs  to  the  Mysteries  of 
the  higher  Initiation. 

Just  as  man's  body  is  the  lowest  expression  of  his 
seven-fold  constitution,  so  is  each  visible  planet  but 
the  lowest,  densest  aspect  of  a  seven-fold  Chain,  called 
by  occultists  a  "World  Chain."  A  World  Chain  is 


The  Voice  of  Isis  207 

composed  of  seven  globes  of  differing  states  of  matter 
and  consciousness,  all  existing  at  the  same  time  and 
all  interpenetrating.  The  globes  of  any  one  Chain 
must  not  be  identified  with  the  visible  planets,  for 
only  one  globe  of  each  Chain  is  visible,  each  physically 
visible  planet  being  the  physical  globe  of  its  own 
Chain,  just  as  the  Earth  is  the  physical  globe  of  the 
Earth  Chain.  The  other  six  globes  of  each  Chain  are 
composed  of  finer  and  more  ethereal  states  of  matter 
to  which  our  physical  senses  do  not  respond.  They  are 
invisible  and  hence  to  us  apparently  do  not  exist. 

In  its  descent  (involution)  into  physical  manifesta- 
tion life  appears  successively  on  each  of  the  seven 
globes  during  one  day-periods  called  a  Round,  seven 
of  such  day-periods  or  Rounds  being  required  to  com- 
plete the  cycle  of  manifestation  (involution-turning 
point — evolution).  "Our  Earth,  as  the  (now)  visible 
representative  of  its  superior  fellow-globes,  .  .  . 
has  to  live,  as  have  the  others,  through  seven  Rounds. 
During  the  first  three,  it  forms  and  consolidates ; 
during  the  fourth  (our  present  Round),  it  settles  and 
hardens ;  during  the  last  three,  it  gradually  returns  to 
its  first  ethereal  form ;  it  is  spiritualized,  so  to  say."  x 

It  may  appear  as  though  the  evolving  lives  stepped 
from  globe  to  globe  of  the  Chain,  but  in  reality  they 
merely  evolve  into  new  states  of  matter  and  conscious- 
ness. A  new  globe  or  plane  of  consciousness  mani- 
fests when  the  consciousness  evolved  in  the  preceding 
Round  can  no  longer  express  itself  on  the  old  globe. 
In  passing  from  globe  to  globe  a  new  principle  is 
developed  on  each.  Man  can  penetrate  into  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  states  through  which  he  has  passed, 
but  can  not  penetrate  into  the  realms  that  embody 
principles  which  he  has  not  yet  evolved.  As  man 

1  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky,  Vol.  I.,  183. 


208  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

evolves,  his  consciousness  is  born  into  a  new  globe 
or  state  of  consciousness,  literally  born  into  a  new 
world  which  did  not  exist  for  him  before,  where 
all  the  familiar  things  of  his  daily  life  and  of  Nature 
appear  in  a  new  and  hitherto  unsuspected  light.  This 
is  due  to  an  expansion  of  consciousness  which  enables 
him  to  respond  to  the  vibrations  of  a  higher  globe, 
enabling  him  to  grasp  deeper  meanings  and  under- 
stand teachings  which  he  formerly  regarded  as  mere 
vagaries  of  unbalanced  minds  or  mystical  word  pic- 
tures of  no  practical  value.  "Cycles  and  epochs  depend 
upon  consciousness :  we  are  not  here  for  the  first  time ; 
the  cycles  return  because  we  come  back  into  conscious 
existence.  Cycles  are  measured  by  the  consciousness 
of  humanity  and  not  by  Nature.  It  is  because  we  are 
the  same  people  as  in  past  epochs  that  these  events 
occur  to  us."  J 

Undeveloped  man  responds  chiefly  to  the  vibrations 
of  the  physical  globe,  those  things  which  he  can  see, 
hear,  taste,  handle,  etc.,  and  can  not  comprehend  or 
function  in  the  globes  belonging  to  the  psychic-  and 
spiritual-planes.  Many  so  live  in  and  for  the  grati- 
fication of  their  animal  appetites,  desires  and  passions 
that  although  they  are  living  on  earth  they  are 
dwelling  in  the  World  of  Desire  or  the  globe  em- 
bodying the  desire-principle,  where  desire  reigns  su- 
preme. For  such,  every  thought,  act  and  experience 
of  life  is  interpreted  from  the  standpoint  of  animal 
desire.  Others  dwell  so  completely  in  the  mental 
world  that  the  desire  world,  and  even  the  physical 
world,  has  little  power  over  them.  Many  function  in 
a  dream  world,  the  astral  envelope  of  the  physical 
earth,  in  which  the  physical,  desire  and  mental  worlds 
are  all  reflected.  Some  are  able  to  reach  up  into  the 

1  Ibid,  Vol.  Ill,  563. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  209 

Soul  World  and  receive  their  mystic  Soul  birth,  while 
a  few  receive  their  birth  into  the  Spiritual  World 
where  their  consciousness  becomes  one  with  their 
Father-in-heaven.  The  phenomenon  of  true  "conver- 
sion" is  but  the  birth  of  the  consciousness  into  the 
Soul  globe  or  plane.  The  majority  of  humanity,  how- 
ever, function  in  the  three  lower  worlds  (physical, 
mental,  desire)  at  the  same  time  or  vibrate  from  one 
to  the  other.  The  mental  world,  however,  has  two 
aspects,  a  high  and  a  low,  and  since  man  is  endowed 
with  free-will,  he  can  chain  mind  to  the  lower  worlds 
and  make  of  this  great  gift  but  a  servant  to  gratify 
desire  and  intensify  physical  life,  or  he  can  use  his  gift 
of  mind  to  reach  up  into  the  higher  worlds  of  Soul 
and  Spirit.  Man  must  ultimately  function  and  gain 
experience  on  all  seven  globes  at  the  same  time,  check- 
ing up,  balancing  and  perfecting  the  experience  of 
one  by  that  gained  on  the  others,  thus  rounding  out 
his  seven-fold  nature  into  the  Real  Man.  Only  thus 
can  he  gain  Mastery  over  the  portion  of  goods  given 
him  by  his  Father-in-heaven. 

What  is  referred  tc  in  the  above  quotation  as  taking 
place  in  each  Round  is  the  ultimate  characteristic 
evolved  while  the  life-wave  was  passing  around  the 
Chain  of  seven  globes  during  that  Round,  and  what 
is  referred  to  as  "humanity"  or  "man"  is,  of  course, 
not  man  as  we  know  him  today,  but  stages  in  the 
involution  or  descent  into  matter  of  that  which  be- 
came man  at  the  middle  point  of  the  Third  Race  of 
the  present  Fourth  Round.  During  the  First  Round 
the  center  of  the  stage  of  action  was  occupied  by  the 
mineral  kingdom;  the  mineral  dominated  the  entire 
Chain,  reaching  its  greatest  density  on  the  fourth 
globe.  In  the  rocks  formed  during  that  period  science 
finds  no  traces  of  either  vegetable  or  animal  forms. 


210  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

During  the  Second  Round  the  vegetable  kingdom 
occupied  the  center  of  the  stage  and  dominated  the 
Earth  Chain,  the  mineral  kingdom  being  subservient. 
It  was  upon  the  fourth  globe  of  that  Round  that 
giant  vegetation  flourished  in  an  atmosphere  of  car- 
bonic acid  gas.  The  remains  of  that  vegetation  are 
still  preserved  to  us  in  the  form  of  coal.  The  rocks 
formed  during  and  after  that  period  record  the  char- 
acteristics of  the  vegetation  but  no  trace  of  animal 
life,  for  the  animals  had  not  yet  taken  on  or  descended 
into  solid  physical  form.  During  the  Third  Round 
animal  life  dominated  the  globe  in  the  form  of  giant 
reptiles  and  monstrous  animals  whose  remains  science 
has  found  preserved  in  many  places.  During  this 
period  both  mineral  and  vegetable  kingdoms  were 
subservient  to  the  animal.  The  rocks  of  that  time 
contain  traces  of  both  vegetable  and  animal  life  but 
not  of  man,  for  he  was  still  astral  or  super-physical. 
During  this  present  Fourth  Round  it  is  man  who 
descends  to  the  physical-plane  and  dominates  the  globe 
through  the  power  of  mind,  all  the  lower  kingdoms 
being  subservient  to  him. 

Since  man  is  the  microcosm  of  the  macrocosm,  in 
his  spiritual  evolution  he  must  pass  through  stages 
analogous  both  to  his  own  physical  evolution  and 
that  of  the  planet,  just  as  during  his  inter-uterine  life 
he  passes  through  the  evolutionary  stages  of  the  early 
Races — vegetative,  animal,  human.  The  first  three 
Rounds  would  be  represented  in  man's  spiritual  evo- 
lution by  the  innocence  of  ignorance.  During  this 
period  he  goes  on  his  way  actively  doing  neither  good 
nor  evil,  vegetating,  indifferent  to  the  higher  ideals 
yet  not  groveling  in  the  lowest.  Persons  in  this  stage 
take  life  as  they  find  it,  with  little  thought  as  to  its 
significance  or  its  deeper  problems.  They  are  happy 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  211 

and  carefree,  neither  very  good  nor  very  bad — average 
good  natured  persons  with  whom  the  world  goes  well 
and  who  experience  little  sorrow  or  suffering.  There 
must  come  a  time,  however,  when,  like  the  planet,  the 
evolutionary  urge  involves  them  in  still  deeper,  denser 
conditions.  Their  carefree  condition  changes.  Since 
they  pay  little  attention  to  the  higher  ideals  of  life 
and  concentrate  all  their  efforts  on  physical  gratifica- 
tion, they  come  to  live  more  and  more  in  their  animal 
natures.  They  become  carried  away  with  animal  de- 
sires, with  the  love  of  money  for  the  gratification  of 
creature  comforts,  with  ambition,  with  great  selfish- 
ness resulting  in  extreme  cruelty  to  their  brother  men. 
All  these  conditions  gradually  plunge  them  into  the 
denser  animal  realm  where,  like  the  immense  animals 
that  roamed  the  earth  during  the  Third  Round,  they 
prey  upon  one  another,  living  only  to  enhance  and 
gratify  their  animal  natures  and  prolong  their  animal 
pleasures. 

In  this  period  of  spiritual  growth  the  animal  pas- 
sions dominate.  Man  now  seeks  to  escape  sorrow 
and  suffering  through  indulgence  in  animal  desire. 
In  obeying  the  inner  urge  toward  harmony  (happi- 
ness) he  madly  plunges  into  all  manner  of  animal 
excesses  and  self-indulgences  with  little  regard  for 
the  rights  of  others ;  but  freedom  from  suffering  still 
eludes  him.  Ultimately  he  reaches  a  point  where  the 
Real  Man  begins  to  control,  corresponding  to  the 
period  when  man  began  to  dominate  the  earth.  As 
with  the  planet  so  with  the  Race  and  the  individual. 
The  vegetative  and  animal  stages  lead  steadily  toward 
a  condensation  of  conditions.  Just  as  the  passing  of 
the  gigantic  vegetation  of  the  Second  Round  added 
to  the  density  of  the  globe  in  the  form  of  coal  and  the 
enormous  animals  of  the  Third  Round  by  their  de- 


212  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

posits  of  bone,  so  during  the  corresponding  periods 
of  his  evolution  has  man  helped  to  create  for  himself 
denser  physical  conditions,  karmic  conditions  of  suf- 
fering and  sorrow  which  he  must  experience  and 
redeem. 

Little  by  little,  through  sorrow  and  suffering,  he 
awakes  to  the  realities  of  life.  Sorrow  and  suffering 
are  to  man  what  matter  is  to  Spirit,  the  sinking  into 
the  densest  and  most  limiting  conditions  of  expression. 
And  the  object  is  the  same,  i.  e.,  for  Spirit,  to  gain 
experience  in  physical  conditions  and  thereby  redeem 
matter;  for  man,  to  gain  his  Soul  experience  and 
thereby  redeem  the  causes  in  the  world  which  produce 
sorrow  and  suffering,  namely  sin  and  disobedience,  as 
well  as  to  redeem  the  matter  in  which  he  clothes  him- 
self. Hence,  while  the  Law  as  Karma  will  bring  to 
all  the  suffering  they  have  earned,  at  the  same  time  as 
they  conquer  they  become  redeemers  for  the  Race,  for 
they  can  not  conquer  for  themselves  alone.  They 
have  been  born  from  the  world  of  thoughtless  action 
into  the  realm  corresponding  to  the  period  when  man 
was  endowed  with  mind.  They  have  begun  to  respond 
to  their  Higher  Mind.  Once  having  reached  this 
point  they  can  go  no  more  back.  Life  no  longer  flows 
smoothly.  They  can  no  longer  be  thoughtless  and 
carefree,  for  they  must  henceforth  take  in  their  own 
hands  the  working  out  of  the  great  problems  of  their 
spiritual  lives,  just  as  man  at  the  corresponding  stage 
took  over  the  guidance  of  his  physical  life.  They 
must  seek  for  themselves  the  solution  of  life's 
problems. 

When  you  have  reached  this  stage  you  have  entered 
the  Fourth  Degree *  of  humanity  where  you  con- 
sciously take  up  the  work  of  spiritual  regeneration. 

1  See  Chapter  III. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  213 

In  this  Degree  you  consciously  start  out  upon  the  Path 
and  must  conquer  all  the  kingdoms  below  you,  both  in 
yourself  and  in  the  world.  All  who  are  interested  in 
these  teachings,  for  example,  have  reached  this  point. 
And  to  you  we  will  say  that  you  are  not  mere  crea- 
tures of  impulse,  driven  hither  and  thither  by  a  relent- 
less fate,  but  are  children  of  your  Father-in-heaven. 
You  have  reached  your  majority  and  are  being  tested. 
You  are  encouraged  to  take  up  the  great  work  of  your 
own  redemption.  Your  guidance  is  now  no  longer  that 
given  a  schoolboy,  but  rather  the  supervision  of  a 
loving  parent  over  one  who  must  of  his  own  free-will 
follow  the  principles  taught  by  that  parent.  It  is 
comforting,  however,  to  realize  that  you  have  this 
power  to  walk  alone  or  you  would  not  be  where  you 
are  today.  If  you  were  still  a  child  in  spiritual 
leading-strings  the  great  problems  of  life  would  not 
confront  you,  for  the  Law  of  Divine  Love  brings  to 
the  Soul  only  such  problems  as  it  has  the  strength 
to  meet  and  conquer.  Your  Heavenly  Father  would 
not  that  any  perish.  Yea,  not  one  sparrow  falleth  to 
the  ground  but  the  Father  knoweth. 

Seek  then  to  reach  up  in  consciousness  to  the  Soul 
World,  to  the  globe  of  Divine  Love,  a  new  world  in 
which  you  can  dwell  if  you  will.  Your  Heavenly 
Father  has  prepared  a  mansion  for  you  in  that  world 
which  you  do  not  have  to  pass  through  the  change 
men  call  death  to  enter.  But  you  do  have  to  let  go 
and  cease  clinging  to  the  things  of  the  lower  worlds, 
for  that  to  which  you  cling  and  in  which  you  permit 
your  mind  to  dwell  is  the  world  in  which  you  must 
function.  You  may  do  your  duty  in  the  lower  worlds 
and  still  dwell  with  your  Father  in  His  world  of  love 
and  glory.  Realize  that  He  is  watching  over  you 
and  that  His  world  envelopes  you  and  will  manifest 


214  The  Voice  of  Isis 

to  you  if  you  will  but  open  your  heart  to  let  it  in. 
Like  a  human  parent,  but  in  a  degree  far  transcending 
the  human,  your  Father  suffers  with  you,  yet  under- 
stands the  necessity  for  you  to  conquer  alone.  The 
greatest  gift  to  man  is  free-will.  It  must  be  your 
will  to  reach  out  for  the  guiding  hand  that  is  always 
within  reach,  even  in  the  darkest  night,  ere  you  can 
find  it. 

All  is  Law,  and  all  Law  is  Love.  It  is  the  life-essence 
of  this  Law — The  Christ-force — which  has  overcome 
the  world  or  which  has  brought  about  the  physical 
evolution  of  the  planet.  Hence  it  must  also  bring 
about  your  spiritual  evolution  and  bring  to  perfection 
all  who  choose  to  work  in  harmony  with  The  Christ. 
Nothing  can  overwhelm  you  if  you  make  this  great 
truth  the  foundation  on  which  you  build  your  life. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

PUKiTY. 

"What?  know  ye  not  that  your  body  is  the 
temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  in  you,  which 
ye  have  of  God,  and  ye  are  not  your  own?  For 
ye  are  bought  with  a  price :  therefore  glorify  God 
in  your  body,  and  in  your  spirit,  which  are  God's." 
— /  Corinthians,  VI  19,  20. 

Your  body  is  the  Temple  of  the  Living  God.  It  is 
your  duty  to  see  that  in  every  way  it  is  kept  a  fit 
dwelling-place  for  the  God  within.  The  chief  requisite 
for  this  is  absolute  purity  of  body,  mind  and  heart. 
When  we  speak  of  a  Temple  it  naturally  suggests  the 
idea  of  sacredness,  hence  you  should  not  only  look 
upon  your  body  as  something  to  be  kept  clean  and 
wholesome  and  in  perfect  health  and  strength  that 
it  may  be  a  fit  instrument,  but  you  should  also  sanctify 
it  and  keep  it  holy  and  undefiled.  Nothing  must  be 
allowed  to  enter  it,  either  as  food  or  drink,  that  will 
injure  it,  make  it  unhealthy  or  lessen  your  control 
over  it. 

This  animal  body  of  yours  has  certain  desires  and 
tendencies  which  are  perfectly  natural  to  it,  just  as 
they  are  to  any  animal,  but  since  you,  the  Immortal 
Self,  are  dwelling  in  it,  you,  the  Immortal  Self  must 
control  the  animal  with  its  desires  and  tendencies,  and 
make  it  subservient  to  the  Law  of  Being.  The  lower 
animals — having  no  individualized  spark  of  the  Divine 
dwelling  in  them — receive  their  touch  with  the  Divine 
through  a  Group-soul  which  guides  the  evolution  of 
each  particular  species  collectively,  through  instinct. 
Hence  the  animals  follow  their  natural  tendencies 


216  The  Voice  of  Isis 

when  not  perverted  by  contact  with  man,  and  these 
tendencies,  not  being  perverted,  are  necessarily  right 
and  proper,  but  man  having  a  higher  guidance  than 
instinct  must  control  the  animal  tendencies  instead  of 
being  controlled  by  them. 

No  natural  function  of  the  body  but  is  pure  and 
wholesome  when  used  for  its  proper  purpose.  No 
natural  act  is,  of  itself,  impure.  It  becomes  impure 
only  through  impure  thoughts  concerning  it.  The 
animal  can  follow  only  its  normal  instincts  but  you,  by 
debasing  your  God-given  intelligence,  have  the  power 
to  sink  lower  than  the  beasts,  or  by  claiming  your 
birthright  and  asserting  your  manhood,  to  rise  far 
above  them. 

Love  in  its  highest  expression  is  the  one  power 
which  you  possess  in  common  with  the  gods.  It  is 
a  divine  force  of  attraction  which  seeks  equilibrium 
in  the  union  of  the  masculine  and  feminine  expres- 
sions of  the  Divine.  It  is  a  natural  force  expressing  it- 
self in  perfect  purity  on  all  planes,  spiritual,  mental 
and  physical.  When  it  is  confined  to  the  physical-plane 
you  are  apt  to  lose  control  of  it,  and  the  animal  body, 
through  which  it  is  expressed  physically,  is  left  to 
follow  its  own  devices.  Thus  the  animal  perverts  this 
divine  force,  and  by  the  aid  of  intellect  devises  ab- 
normal ways  of  gratifying  its  appetites  instead  of 
expressing  the  pure  love  of  a  spiritual  being  for  its 
mate.  What  was  Divine  Love  becomes  debased  and 
impure,  the  body  is  defiled  and  the  Temple  of  the 
Living  God  desecrated. 

Not  alone  impure  acts  but  also  impure  thoughts, 
even  if  only  subconsciously  held,  are  a  source  of  defile- 
ment. Science  has  demonstrated  that  thoughts  are 
things,  forces  which  create  ethereal  forms  that  attach 
themselves  to  their  creators  seeking  expression  through 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  217 

their  bodies.  The  science  of  psychology  (the  science 
of  the  mind)  teaches  that  every  thought  tends  to  ex- 
press itself  in  a  bodily  act,  and  does  so  express  itself 
unless  counteracted  by  a  stronger  thought  of  opposite 
character.  Therefore  your  impure  or  evil  acts  are 
not  committed  because  some  devil  stands  at  your  elbow 
urging  you  to  do  the  impure  or  evil  deed,  but  you 
yourself  are  responsible,  for  you  have  created  the 
impure  thought-forms  that  are  but  striving  to  express 
themselves  through  their  creators.  Or  you  have  so 
attuned  your  mind  to  impurity  that  the  impure 
thought-forms  created  by  others  are  drawn  to  you. 
The  normal  animal  passions  when  excited  and  inflamed 
by  impure  thoughts  find  abnormal,  and  necessarily 
impure,  expressions.  The  whole  problem  rests  upon 
your  ability  to  purify  your  thoughts  concerning  all 
the  forces  and  functions  of  your  bodies.  Learn  that 
there  is  no  natural  function  of  your  body  that  is 
not  normal  and  right  if  put  to  its  proper  use  and 
governed  by  pure  thoughts. 

"Thou  shall  not  let  thy  senses  make  a  playground  of 
thy  mind."  1 

To  keep  the  thoughts  pure  you  must  fight  every 
impure  thought  the  instant  it  appears.  Learn  to 
take  an  interest  in  pure  things  and  fill  your  mind 
with  thoughts  concerning  them.  Determinately  con- 
quer the  tendency  to  investigate  impurity.  Do  not  be 
always  hovering  on  the  borderland  of  suggestion,  see- 
ing in  every  word  and  look  some  hidden  suggestion 
of  impurity.  Expend  as  much  energy  and  take  as 
much  interest  looking  for  Pearls  of  Purity  as  is  gen- 
erally spent  in  seeking  for  the  impure;  for  what  ye 
seek  ye  shall  surely  find.  Determine  not  to  entertain 
an  impure  thought  any  more  than  an  impure  visitor 

1  The  Voice  of  the  Silence,   Blavatsky,   Fragment  III. 


218  The  Voice  of  his 

would  be  entertained  in  the  bosom  of  your  family. 
By  interesting  yourself  in  purity  and  filling  your  mind 
with  pure  thoughts  you  cut  off  the  supply  of  life 
and  energy  from  the  impure  thought-forms  and,  if 
you  persistently  create  their  opposites,  after  a  fierce 
struggle  for  life,  they  will  soon  cease  to  trouble  you, 
for  you  have  created  thought-forms  of  purity  which 
will  transmute  the  impure,  and  will  and  must  express 
themselves  in  pure  thoughts  and  actions.  These  pure 
creations  will  become  the  Warrior  who  fights  for 
you.  Often  it  is  a  great  surprise  to  find  that  the  thing 
you  looked  upon  as  such  a  dire  temptation  a  short 
time  ago  will  now  scarce  attract  a  passing  glance. 
You  have  conquered  it. 

This  divine  creative  force  of  Love,  which  is  the 
link  that  unites  you  with  God,  finds  its  greatest 
earthly  expression  in  the  sex  forces.  It  also  has  a 
corresponding  expression  on  all  planes,  spiritual, 
mental  and  physical.  The  sex  forces  are  always  cre- 
ative and  cannot  be  brought  into  operation  without  a 
definite  creation  on  all  planes,  their  higher  aspects 
creating  upon  the  higher  planes,  their  lower  upon 
the  physical-plane.  The  spiritual  essence  will  create 
upon  the  spiritual-plane ;  the  mental  will  create  upon 
the  mental-plane,  following  out  the  patterns  set  by 
the  thought-forms  which  are  fashioned  by  the  desires, 
thus  making  them  conscious  living  entities  which  at- 
tach themselves  to  man,  their  creator,  express  through 
him,  and  demand  that  he  sustain  them.  Thus  if  only 
gross  animal  thoughts  are  held  at  the  time  the  forces 
are  used>you  create  gross  animal  thought-forms  which 
drag  you  down,  so  that  you  grow  more  and  more 
animal.  But  if  pure  love  and  high  aspirations  as  for 
a  holy  sacrament  are  held  at  the  time,  you  will  be 
able  to  express  more  and  more  clearly  the  ideal  held. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  219 

The  physical  essence  will  create  upon  the  physical- 
plane,  but  if  denied  its  natural  expression  on  that 
plane,  i.  e.,  the  creation  of  a  body  in  which  a 
divine  Soul  can  incarnate,  it  will  still  create  upon  the 
physical-plane.  Being  perverted  from  its  normal  and 
thrown  into  abnormal  channels,  it  will  send  its  quota 
of  creative  energy  toward  the  creation  of  disease,  death 
and  pestiferous  plagues,  for  its  natural  function  is 
completely  perverted  and  that  which  should  have  been 
put  to  the  highest  use  and  which  should  bring  the 
greatest  blessing-  to  mankind  has  now  become  its  curse. 
When  the  creative  life-force  is  brought  into  activity 
in  purity  and  love,  as  it  finds  embodiment  in  the  lower 
kingdoms  it  will  clothe  itself  in  forms  helpful  to  man, 
but  since  the  opposite  conditions  are  too  often  the  rule 
the  creative  force  adds  its  power  to  those  forms  which 
are  antagonistic  to  and  prey  upon  man. 

These  evil  things,  however,  are  not  a  direct  crea- 
tion, but  are  the  result  of  the  impure  thoughts  and 
perverted  creative  force  of  man  permeating  the  at- 
mosphere of  the  earth  and  filling  its  aura  with  life- 
force  expressing  itself  through  living  entities  working 
in  a  reverse  way,  seeking  avenues  through  which  to 
bring  forth  evil  instead  of  good  in  all  parts  of  the 
earth,  even  where  man  has  never  trod.  The  entities 
thus  created,  being  man's  perverted  physical  creations, 
must  draw  their  sustenance  from  mankind.  Just  as 
a  child  draws  its  life  and  nourishment  from  its  mother's 
breast  so  these  unnatural  creations  must  also  flourish 
and  in  some  way  draw  their  life  from  man's  blood 
(blood  sucking  parasites,  cancers  and  all  pathological 
bacteria,  for  example).  Do  not  blame  God  for  sick- 
ness and  disease.  They  are  man's  creations. 

Humanity  as  a  whole  has  created  these  conditions 
for  ages,  until  the  aura  of  the  earth  is  saturated  with 


220  The  Voice  of  Isis 

what  is  known  to  science  as  disease  breeding  germs, 
bacteria,  parasites,  etc.  Scarcely  anything  you  eat  or 
come  in  contact  with  is  free  from  these  enemies  to 
human  life,  making  every  one  born  under  the  flesh 
in  bondage  to  the  flesh,  as  the  Bible  puts  it  or,  in  occult 
parlance,  subject  to  the  world's  Karma  to  a  greater 
or  lesser  degree.  Nevertheless,  although  the  micro- 
scope shows  that  the  germs  of  disease  are  constantly 
entering  your  body  through  air,  water  and  food,  to 
the  pure  in  heart  and  mind  and  body  these  abnormal 
creations  will  prove  harmless.  Thus  is  literally  ful- 
filled the  promise  "Behold,  I  give  unto  you  power 
to  tread  on  serpents  and  scorpions,  and  over  all  the 
power  of  the  enemy :  and  nothing  shall  by  any  means 
hurt  you."  2  Know  well  there  are  no  evils  created  to 
tempt  or  diseases  to  harm  you  but  those  of  man's  own 
creation.  Since  man  has  thus  proved  himself  a  creator 
of  evil  it  is  time  for  him  to  realize  this  fact,  recognize 
his  power  and  determine  to  create  good  instead  of  evil. 
Cohabitation  must  never  take  place  except  between 
persons  legally  married  to  each  other.  There  can  be  no 
possible  exception  to  this  ride.  Legally  married  means 
that  the  law  of  the  land  in  which  they  dwell  must 
legalize  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  any  sexual  union.  But 
unless  the  union  has  already  been  made  in  heaven 
through  pure  love,  the  physical  union  cannot  bring 
about  peace  and  happiness,  for  like  all  true  sacraments 
it  must  be  entered  into  and  registered  upon  all  planes. 
Nothing  can  be  gained  by  breaking  the  laws  of  the 
land ;  if  they  are  crude  or  inadequate  your  effort  should 
be  to  uplift  them.  Every  principle  which  evolution  has 
proved  to  be  for  the  benefit  of  mankind  must  ultimately 
bemused  for  its  highest  purpose.  Cohabitation  outside 
the  legal  married  state  is  but  breaking  the  law  and 

1  St.  Luke  X.,   19. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  221 

adding  complications  to  be  worked  out  later  in  sor- 
row and  suffering.  Even  though  the  marriage  law  is 
but  a  man-made  law  and  is  far  from  perfect,  it  is 
nevertheless  a  shadow  on  earth  of  the  Divine  Law, 
the  divine  Marriage  of  the  Soul.  Man's  marriage 
laws  have  many  objectionable  features,  but  the 
lesson  for  humanity  to  learn  is  that  marriage  is  a  holy 
sacrament,  not  to  be  lightly  entered  into  or  lightly  set 
aside.  Hence  if  through  ignorance  and  perversion 
man  degrades  this  sacrament  he  will  never  learn  its 
sacredness,  especially  by  ignoring  it  or  refusing  to 
bear  the  consequences  of  his  acts. 

The  fundamental  teaching  of  this  Order  is  that 
in  every  Soul  there  is  a  Divine  Guidance  which,  if 
the  human  personality  will  listen,  will  clearly  indicate 
what  is  right  and  what  is  wrong.  Hence  no  one  is 
forced  into  an  unhappy  marriage  without  going 
against  this  inner  urge ;  they  either  enter  it  because 
they  are  blinded  by  passion,  because  of  a  desire 
for  worldly  position  or  for  some  reason  other  than 
the  one  great  reason,  namely,  because  the  Soul  speaks 
to  its  mate  in  Divine  Love.  The  Law  of  Divine  Love 
will  bring  to  each  Soul  its  true  mairiage,  a  union 
in  perfect  purity  on  all  planes.  This  according  to  the 
one  life-theory  is  of  course  impossible  for  all ;  but  since 
reincarnation  is  a  fact,  the  Soul,  through  repeated  ex- 
periences, learns  to  follow  its  Divine  Guidance,  hence 
will  ultimately  find  its  true  mate.  But  they  can  be 
spiritually  as  well  as  physically  married  to  their  mate 
only  when  the  old  accounts  of  both  have  been  balanced 
and  the  old  complications  set  up  through  the  mistakes 
of  the  past  have  been  worked  out.  To  ignore  the  les- 
sons necessary  to  be  learned  is  but  to  prolong  the  period 
of  separation  between  the  two,  for  they  can  never  come 
together  in  perfect  purity  until  each  has  learned  the 


222  The  Voice  of  Isis 

lessons  which  keep  them  apart  and  have  found  out  how 
to  fulfill  the  Law  on  all  planes;  that  is,  have  reached 
a  point  where  nothing  but  the  spiritual  attraction  or 
true  love  leads  them  into  a  physical  marriage.  To 
break  the  Law  on  any  plane  by  refusing  to  bear  the 
results  of  your  acts  simply  results  in  your  having  to 
come  back  and  take  up  the  same  old  lessons  where  you 
left  them  and  continue  in  them  until  they  are  learned. 

The  marriage  state  is  the  highest  and  holiest  rela- 
tion between  man  and  woman.  Anything  that  detracts 
from  its  holiness  should  not  be  tolerated.  The  idea 
that  it  is  inherently  wrong  is  an  insult  to  an  institution 
which  was  placed  before  man  as  the  earthly  expression 
of  his  highest  attainment,  the  union  of  the  Soul  with 
the  Divine.  Until  you  have  grasped  at  least  some- 
thing of  the  holy  reflection  on  earth  of  this  Divine 
Marriage,  your  consciousness  can  never  enter  into  it 
upon  the  higher  planes.  Hence  if  you  are  not  ready 
to  enter  into  this  holy  sacrament  with  a  realization  of 
its  sacredness,  its  purity  and  the  possibility  of  over- 
coming the  vile  ideas  which  the  world  has  cast  upon  it, 
you  would  better  not  swear  falsely  before  God  and  man 
by  taking  upon  yourself  its  vows.  If  mere  companion- 
ship or  a  so-called  "spiritual  mate"  is  all  that  is  desired 
that  can  be  attained  without  physical  contact.  But  mark 
well  that  mere  companionship  or  "spiritual  union"  does 
not  include  the  privilege  of  personal  contact  or  physical 
union. 

It  is  not  the  words  pronounced  by  minister,  priest, 
or  magistrate  which  bind  you,  no  written  documents, 
but  the  spiritual  potencies  of  the  Law  which  you  in- 
voke by  your  vows  and  the  intent  of  your  Soul  in 
making  the  vows.  And  it  is  these  forces  which  will 
demand  the  fulfillment  of  the  vows,  no  matter  what 
verbal  or  written  contracts  to  the  contrary  you  may 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  223 

make  or  what  mental  reservations  you  may  hold.  If  you 
refuse  to  fulfill  them  in  one  way  you  must  pay  the  price 
in  another,  for  you  will  be  free  only  when  the  debt  is 
fully  paid.  It  makes  no  difference  whether  the  cere- 
mony be  Catholic,  Protestant,  Mohammedan,  Mormon 
or  civil.  Whatever  land  you  are  in  and  whatever 
law  you  invoke  to  bind  your  Soul  is  the  one  with  which 
you  should  comply,  for  it  is  the  power  of  one  Divine 
Law  you  invoke  no  matter  what  the  ceremony  em- 
ployed. Whatever  law  vou  accept  at  the  time  of  the 
marriage  as  a  representative  of  the  Divine  Law,  and 
make  your  vows  accordingly,  that  is  the  law  that  holds 
you. 

There  are  three  parties  to  the  marriage  vow,  the 
man,  the  woman  and  the  law  of  the  land.  This  vow 
can  be  annulled  and  withdrawn  with  the  consent  of  all 
three  parties.  Also  if  one  of  the  parties  has  violated 
the  vow,  he  or  she  cannot  hold  the  others  to  it  unless 
they  choose  to  overlook  the  violation  and  thus  in  effect 
renew  the  vow.  If,  however,  one  overlooks  the  viola- 
tion and  accepts  the  resulting  conditions  let  him  not 
complain  and  seek  sympathy  for  his  hard  lot,  for  he 
has  deliberately  chosen  that  lot  and  must  abide  by 
his  choice,  work  out  its  Karma  and  learn  its  resulting 
lessons. 

If  man  and  wife  cannot  fulfill  the  vow  by  living  in 
love  and  harmony,  it  is  far  better  for  their  Soul-growth 
to  ask  the  third  party — the  law  of  the  land — to  release 
them  from  it.  For  there  is  nothing  more  detrimental 
to  spiritual  advance  than  nuptial  inharmony,  because 
of  the  perpetuation  of  the  inharmony  through  the 
creative  power  and  because  of  the  inharmonious  and 
impure  creations  brought  forth.  It  is  also  far  better 
for  the  children  of  such  a  union  to  pass  through  the 
experience  a  legal  separation  of  the  parents  might 


224  The  Voice  of  Isis 

entail  than  to  be  brought  up  in  an  atmosphere  where 
love,  trust  and  understanding  were  lacking  and  in- 
harmony  reigned. 

When  the  Laws  of  God  and  man  have  been  com- 
plied with,  the  consummation  of  the  union  in  pure  and 
holy  love  is  a  sacrament.1  Under  such  conditions,  if 
at  the  time  the  thoughts  are  exalted  and  pure,  and 
the  creative  energy  is  permitted  to  function  through 
its  normal  and  natural  channel,  there  will  be  upon 
the  spiritual-plane  a  creation  which  will  correlate  with 
the  Divine  Creative  Force  and  draw  to  the  participants 
a  wonderful  blessing  and  help,  while  upon  the  mental- 
plane  thought-forms  of  purity  will  gather  as  a  pro- 
tecting band  around  the  unborn  child  to  ward  off  all 
inimical  and  evil  influences,  and  a  perfect  body  should 
result.  Also,  through  the  spiritual  force  drawn  upon, 
an  advanced  Soul  may  be  attracted  to  the  body.  If 
the  desire  is  to  create  the  body  of  a  child  it  should 
be  looked  upon  as  a  sacred  and  religious  rite;  for 
there  is  nothing  more  important  to  the  Race  than 
the  perfecting  of  the  vehicles  for  its  continuance  and 
its  upliftment.  This  is  far  more  important  than  build- 
ing churches,  preaching  sermons  or  sending  mission- 
aries to  the  "heathen."  The  thoughts  of  both  parents 
should  be  concentrated  upon  an  exact  mental  picture 
of  the  body  they  desire  and  the  creative  act  should 
be  carried  out  with  this  ideal  in  mind,  and  in  the 
greatest  purity  of  thought.  Thus  there  can  be  created 
a  beautiful  love-child  which  will  be  a  blessing  and  a 
joy  throughout  life.  If  a  physical  body  is  created  when 
it  is  not  wanted  it  is  created  by  the  mere  husks  of  the 
creative  force,  while  the  real  power  of  creation  is  ex- 
pended on  other  planes  in  following  out  whatever 

1  "A  sacrament  is  an  outward  and  visible  sign  of  an  inward  and 
spiritual  grace." 


The  Voice  of  Isis  225 

pattern  is  set  by  the  desires.  Since  the  thoughts  were 
not  concentrated  on  the  physical-plane  to  produce  a 
perfect  body,  such  a  child  is  robbed,  and  will  naturally 
lack  a  part  of  its  birthright,  the  whole  Race  being 
proportionately  defrauded. 

All  life  comes  from  the  One  Life  of  the  Absolute 
and  normally  should  evolve  back  to  God  in  perfect 
purity  and  harmony,  but  instead  everything  that  grows, 
be  it  herb  or  animal,  has  to  contend  with  the  malign 
influence  of  the  perverted  currents  of  life-force,  the 
result  of  man's  misuse  of  the  creative  power.  This  is 
a  literal  fulfillment  of  the  curse  recorded  in  Genesis,1 
"Cursed  is  the  ground2  for  thy  sake."  The  curse  was 
not  pronounced  because  of  the  act  of  one  man  and 
woman,  nor  was  it  because  the  Third  Race  (symbolized 
by  Adam  and  Eve)  fell  into  generation,  for  the  power 
to  create  was  the  great  gift  given  to  the  humanity  of 
this  globe  by  the  Elohim.  With  the  gift  the  Divine 
Guidance  to  use  it  aright  was  also  given,  but  as  early 
as  the  latter  part  of  that  Race  in  direct  disobedience  to 
that  Guidance  mankind  began  to  abuse  and  pervert  it. 
And  humanity  has  perpetuated  that  mistake  ever  since. 
The  curse  was  not  pronounced  as  a  punishment,  but 
was  merely  a  statement  of  the  natural  consequences 
which  would  follow  the  use  of  the  creative  power  in  a 
perverted  way.  "Thorns  also  and  thistles  shall  it 
bring  forth  to  thee,"  and  also  "in  sorrow  shalt  thou 
eat  of  it  all  the  days  of  thy  life."  Even  in  eating  our 
choicest  fruits,  when  partaken  of  ere  they  have  gained 
the  victory  (ripened)  over  the  adverse  conditions  re- 
sulting from  currents  of  perverted  life-force,  we  suffer. 

If  the  Race  is  to  be  propagated  in  vileness,  every 
child  that  is  born  must  bear  the  burden  of  a  thought 

1III,  17. 

3  Meaning  the  entire  planet,  mistranslated  "ground." 


226  The  Voice  of  Isis 

of  something  vile  and  impure  connected  with  its  birth. 
It  is  no  wonder  that  children  so  conceived  have  little 
love  or  respect  for  their  unwilling  parents.  Children 
born  in  love  and  purity,  while  subject  to  this  world 
Karma  or  "in  bondage  to  the  flesh,"  will  still  be  over- 
shadowed by  a  mantle  of  purity  which  will  ward  off 
many  temptations  to  impurity  and  vileness,  and  will 
find  their  environment  such  as  to  lead  them  in  paths 
of  purity  rather  than  in  by-ways  of  evil.  For  this  rea- 
son the  salvation  of  the  Race  depends  upon  the  pure 
in  heart  conceiving  children  in  love  and  purity,  for 
if  the  perpetuation  of  the  Race  is  left  to  the  impure 
and  ignorant,  conditions  must  errow  worse. 

Without  this  thing  which  we  are  wont  to  look  upon 
as  vile  and  impure  the  Race  would  very  soon  become 
extinct.  And  if  mankind  continues  to  debase  and  de- 
grade this  great  gift  the  Race  will  still  become  extinct, 
for,  as  we  have  said  above,  nearly  all  diseases  can  be 
traced  to  the  perverted  activity  of  the  creative  force. 

In  reality  sexual  desire  is  but  the  effort  of  the  Soul 
to  express  Divine  Love  through  the  physical  vehicle 
and  should  be  looked  upon  as  the  lower  or  negative 
pole  of  that  Love,  and  God  is  Love.  When  we  debase, 
degrade  and  befoul  sexual  desire  we  are  debasing  the 
highest  physical  expression  of  the  God  within  us.  Just 
so  long  as  parents  fail  to  fill  their  children's  minds 
with  thoughts  of  the  purity  and  the  holiness  of  the 
sex  relations,  the  thought  that  it  is  evil  or  vile  will  be 
perpetuated  in  the  Race.  Just  so  long  as  it  is  thought 
of  as  something  unclean  and  vile,  just  so  long  will 
it  be  so ;  for  the  creative  power  of  thought  will  clothe 
itself  in  the  vile  garments  of  the  impure  ideas,  and  the 
sins  of  the  fathers  will  be  visited  upon  the  children 
unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  227 

Purify,  then,  not  only  your  acts,  but  your  thoughts. 
Persistently  refuse  to  entertain  impure  ideas.  Combat 
them  with  ideas  of  Purity  and  Divine  Love.  This  does 
not  mean,  however,  that  you  should  deliberately  close 
your  eyes  and  refuse  to  admit  or  recognize  that  there 
is  evil  in  the  world.  For  a  wise  physician  must  rec- 
ognize the  first  symptoms  of  a  disease  that  he  may 
combat  it  ere  it  gains  a  foothold.  Remember,  always, 
that  knowledge  is  power.  Learn  to  look  things  in  the 
face  with  a  full  consciousness  of  your  power  to  create 
good  where  evil  now  exists.  For,  "As  a  man  thinketh 
in  his  heart  so  is  he." 

NOTE:  For  the  methods  of  transmuting  the  sex-forces  in  those 
who  are  not  married,  see  the  chapter  on  "The  Sex  Problem"  in 
Letters  from  The  Teacher,  Curtiss. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  ORIGIN   OF   MAN. 

"In  the  day  that  God  created  man,  in  the  like- 
ness of  God  made  he  him;  male  and  female  cre- 
ated he  them;  and  blessed  them,  and  called  their 
name  Adam,  in  the  day  when  they  were  created." 
— Genesis,  V.  1-2. 

"Man  is  a  little  world — a  microcosm  inside  the 
great  universe." — I  sis  Unveiled,  Blavatsky;  Vol. 
I;  212. 

There  is  much  speculation  among  students  of 
all  schools  in  regard  to  the  origin  of  man.  Some 
hold  to  the  orthodox  idea  that  God  literally  fash- 
ioned a  man  out  of  clay  and  in  some  mysterious 
manner  animated  him  with  breath.  Others  hold 
to  the  Darwinian  theory  that  man  and  the  ape 
descended  from  a  common  ancestor,  both  being  the 
result  of  a  wholly  physical  and  more  or  less  mechan- 
ical evolution.  Between  these  extremes  the  great 
mass  of  thinking  people  are  seeking  something 
more  satisfying  to  a  rational  mind  than  the  former 
and  more  elevating  than  the  latter.  To  this  great 
class  there  comes  from  out  the  ages  the  arcane 
teachings  of  those  Great  Souls  who  reached  their 
godlike  state  before  this  world  was  born  and  who 
have  been  the  manipulators  of  the  evolutionary  law 
under  which  this  planet  and  its  inhabitants  have 
reached  their  present  state.  These  Great  Souls 
have  always  been  and  still  are  the  Guides  and 
Teachers  of  mankind,  hence  those  whose  reason 
postulates  or  whose  intuition  recognizes  such  god- 
like Beings  can  safely  accept  Their  teachings,  for 
They  are  in  a  position  to  know.  This  ancient  wis- 


The  Voice  of  Isis  229 

dom  has  never  been  lost,  but  because  of  man's 
gradual  refusal  to  accept  and  follow  it  during  his 
ages  of  darkness  and  ignorance  it  has  been  tem- 
porarily withdrawn  from  the  public  teachings  and  care- 
fully preserved,  although  always  accessible  to  every 
Soul  who  seeks  it  by  the  right  method  and  in  the  right 
spirit. 

There  are  reasonable  grounds  for  both  the  above 
mentioned  theories.  Man  has  both  a  spiritual  evo- 
lution which  comes  from  above  and  a  material  evo- 
lution which  belongs  to  the  earth.  His  physical 
body  is  the  highest  attainment  of  a  physical  evolu- 
tion through  all  the  lower  kingdoms  where  it  has 
passed  through  stages  analogous  to  the  mineral, 
vegetable  and  animal,  in  an  ethereal  form  corre- 
sponding to  the  stages  through  which  the  planet 
passed  in  previous  Rounds.1  His  spiritual  evolu- 
tion is  the  result  of  the  voluntary  descent  of  Im- 
mortal Egos  into  more  or  less  perfected  human-animal 
bodies,  and  Their  subsequent  effort  to  control  and 
spiritualize  those  animal  organisms.  These  arcane 
teachings,  preserved  in  their  purity  upon  imperishable 
records  through  all  the  ages,  tell  us  that  during  each 
Day-period  or  Round  seven  Great  Races  followed 
each  other  successively,  each  being  made  up  of  seven 
sub-races  which  in  turn  are  composed  of  many  tribes, 
kingdoms  and  nations.  These  Races  and  sub-races 
do  not  begin  suddenly  or  end  abruptly  to  make  way 
for  the  next,  but  overlap  for  untold  ages  ere  the  old 
gives  way  to  the  new.  For  example :  "The  majority 
of  mankind  belongs  to  the  seventh  sub-race  of  the 
Fourth  Root-Race.  The  .  .  .  Chinaman  and  their 
off-shoots  and  branchlets  (Malayans,  Mongolians, 
Tibetans,  Hungarians,  Finns  and  even  the  Esquimaux) 

i  See  Chapter  XV. 


230  The  Voice  of  Isis 

are  all  remnants  of  this  last  off-shoot," *  although 
humanity  is  already  entering  the  sixth  sub-race  of 
the  Fifth  Great  Race  of  the  Fourth  Round.  And  some 
few  children  are  even  now  being  born  who  will  be- 
come the  teachers  and  prophets  who  will  prepare 
for  the  coming  of  the  Sixth  Great  Race. 

Following  the  cyclic  Law,  each  of  the  tribes,  nations, 
sub-races  and  Great  Races  has  its  humble  birth,  its 
youth,  its  maturity  (during  which  it  reaches  the  zenith 
of  its  power)  then  its  gradual  decline,  decay,  and  final 
disappearance,  as  the  recorded  history  of  nations  known 
today  clearly  shows.  All  that  a  Race  acquires,  how- 
ever, is  stored  up  to  reappear  in  its  purity  in  the  next 
Race.  The  reason  for  the  decay  is  that  the  Race  has 
acquired  all  that  its  physical  evolution  enables  it  to 
express.  Further  accumulation  of  knowledge  must  be 
postponed  until  a  finer  and  more  responsive  organism 
has  been  evolved.  Therefore  while  an  entirely  new 
Race  seems  to  appear,  in  reality  it  is  but  the  reincar- 
nation of  those  Souls  who  composed  the  former  Races. 
In  this  Round  the  majority  of  persons  in  the  western 
nations  have  evolved  through  the  Fourth  Great  Race 
and  through  the  sub-races  of  the  Fifth  (Aryan)  to  the 
point  where  they  are  now  just  entering  its  sixth  sub- 
race,  although  among  all  nations  there  are  laggards 
belonging  to  less  evolved  sub-races. 

During  the  first  Great  or  Root-  (Polar)  Race,  the 
germs  of  that  which  was  to  become  man  were  sleeping 
as  it  were  through  the  chaotic  conditions  of  the  then 
ethereal  world,  a  sleep  of  oblivion  in  the  waters  of 
the  uncreate.  Hence  man  today  can  have  little  com- 
prehension of  this  First  Race.  As  the  Spirit  of  God 
moved  upon  the  face  of  the  waters  misty  or  cloud- 
like  forms  composed  of  but  two  elements — air  and 

1  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky,  Vol.  II;   188. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  231 

water — arose,  having  a  sentient  life  yet  not  human 
intelligence.  These  cloud-like  forms  "composed  of 
the  most  ethereal  matter  compatible  with  objectivity" 
took  the  shape  of  "gigantic  semi-human  monsters,  the 
first  attempt  of  material  nature  at  building  human 
bodies."  x  This  was  the  Second  or  Hyperborean  Race. 
This  Race  was  sexless,  their  mode  of  reproduction 
being  by  fission  or  division,  just  as  a  cloud  might 
separate  into  two  parts.  These  misty  forms  became 
more  and  more  dense  by  the  gradual  absorption  of 
a  new  element,  earth,  until  "The  Second  Race  .  .  . 
being  also  sexless,  evolved  out  of  itsdf,  at  its  be- 
ginning, the  Third,  Androgyne  Race  by  an  analogous, 
but  already  more  complicated  process.  .  .  .  The 
emanations  that  came  from  their  bodies  during  the 
seasons  of  procreation  were  ovulary ;  .  .  .  devel- 
oping into  a  large  soft,  egg-like  vehicle,  which  gradu- 
ally hardened,  when,  after  a  period  of  gestation,  it 
broke  and  the  young  human  animal  issued  from  it 
unaided,  as  the  fowls  do  in  our  Race."  2  Not  a  strange 
procedure  when  we  remember  that  even  today  a 
child  is  born  in  a  membraneous  sack  or  "a  large  soft 
egg-like  vehicle."  At  the  middle  point  of  this  Second 
Race  "He  is  still  gigantic  and  ethereal,  but  growing 
firmer  and  more  condensed  in  body;  a  more  physical 
man  yet  still  less  intelligent  than  spiritual,  for  mind 
is  a  slower  and  more  difficult  evolution  than  is  the 
physical  frame."  3  These  primitive  beings  were  still 
composed  of  astral  matter  and  today  would  not  be 
visible,  hence  they  left  no  physical  traces  by  which  sci- 
ence might  discover  them.  "The  evolution  of  the  physio- 
logical man  out  of  the  astral  races  of  the  early  Lemu- 

*Ibid,  Vol.  II;  146. 
2  Ibid,  Vol.  II;  175. 
•Ibid,  Vol.  I;  211. 


232  The  Voice  of  Isis 

rian  age — the  Jurassic  age  of  Geology — is  exactly 
paralleled  by  the  'materialization'  of  'spirits'  (?)  in 
the  seance  room."  l  Only  toward  the  middle  of  the 
Third  Race  (Lemurian)  did  solid  bones  develop,  the 
sexes  separate,  the  body  become  "clothed  with  coats 
of  skin"  and  take  on  the  human  form  as  we  know 
it  today,  although  at  that  time  it  was  of  gigantic  pro- 
portions.2 It  was  from  this  point  onward  that  truly 
human  evolution  began,  as  symbolized  in  the  Bible 
by  Adam  and  Eve.  Previous  to  this  time  the  Races 
were  cold-blooded  like  the  present  day  amphibians, 
reptiles,  fishes  and  the  invertebrates,  taking  on  the 
temperature  of  their  surroundings,  but  from  this  point 
on  humanity  gradually  became  warm-blooded  and 
maintained  a  constant  body  temperature.  Thus 
it  will  be  seen  that  man  is  truly  the  microcosm  of 
the  macrocosm.  For  in  his  physical  development 
and  in  his  modes  of  procreation  he  has  passed  through 
all  the  stages  Nature  has  used  and  still  uses  in  the 
lower  kingdoms.  The  mineral  reproduces  by  exuding 
its  essence ;  the  vegetable  by  budding  or  by  seeds,  each 
part  of  the  plant  as  a  slip  being  capable  of  reproducing 
the  entire  plant  just  as  a  part  of  Adam's  body  (his 
rib)  reproduced  Eve;  and  the  animal  by  the  sexual 
process. 

The  above  refers  merely  to  the  evolution  of  the 
animal  body  of  man,  and  in  some  respects  may  re- 
semble the  Darwinian  hypothesis,  the  great  difference 
being  that  according  to  these  teachings  the  beginnings 
of  man  were  not  upon  the  physical-plane  and  all  stages 
were  not  passed  through  in  physical  matter.  This  is 
why  science  has  ever  failed  in  its  search  for  the  "miss- 
ing link"  or  the  "common  ancestor"  of  man  and  the 

*Ibid,  Vol.  II;   778. 

a  "There  were  giants  in  the  earth  in  those  days;  and  also  after 
that." — Genesis,  VI;  4. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  233 

ape.  Man  did  not  descend  from  the  ape  or  from  a 
common  ancestor,  but  the  ape  descended  from  man, 
being  the  perverted  and  degenerate  offspring  resulting 
from  the  sins  of  the  latest  Third  and  early  Fourth 
Races.1 

After  the  middle  of  the  Third  Race  a  dual  evolu- 
tion begins.  Spiritual  Beings  (called  Solar  Fathers 
or  Pitris)  who  had  reached  their  high  estate  on  pre- 
vious World  Chains,  consciously  descended  to  earth 
and  breathed  into  the  human-animal  forms  "the 
breath  of  life,"  as  recorded  in  Genesis.  That  which 
is  called  the  breath  was  something  with  which  animal 
man  was  then  endowed,  a  power  and  capacity  added  to 
the  mere  animal  consciousness  he  possessed  before; 
for  it  was  the  breath  of  Divine  Life,  a  human  Soul,  a 
spiritual  overshadowing.  This  same  teaching  is  repre- 
sented in  Genesis  by  the  Adam  of  the  first  chapter 
being  created  but  a  sexless  animal,  the  culmination 
and  last  of  animal  creation;  the  Adam  of  the  second 
chapter  first  being  created  a  bi-sexual  animal,  then 
being  endowed  with  a  human  Soul.  This  Adam  (the 
early  Third  Race)  was  created  before  the  animals  and 
each  animal  was  brought  to  him  to  be  named.  Later 
on  this  Adam  evolved  out  of  his  bi-sexual  state  into 
that  of  the  separated  sexes,  Adam  and  Eve.  Then 
"the  Sons  of  God  (semi-divine  Beings)  saw  the 
daughters  of  men  (the  evolved  human-animal  forms) 
that  they  were  fair;  and  they  took  them  wives  of  all 
which  they  chose,"  2  and  begat  the  future  sub-races. 
The  union  of  the  Sons  of  God  with  the  daughters  of 
men  added  to  the  elements  in  humanity  (air,  water, 
earth)  a  new  element,  fire,  or  intellect.  Fire  is  a  sacred 
and  higher  element  which  only  comes  to  earth  as  the 
gift  of  the  gods  to  man  and  man  alone  of  all  creation 

1  See  Chapter  III. 

2  Genesis,  VI;  2. 


234  The  Voice  of  Isis 

can  control  it  and  use  it  unafraid.  But  only  the  highest 
of  the  human  forms  were  ready,  hence  comparatively 
few  received  the  divine  incarnation,  while  many  re- 
ceived the  spark  of  self-consciousness  and  still  more 
received  but  an  overshadowing  of  the  semi-divine 
Beings  who  in  future  stages  of  evolution  were  ulti- 
mately to  become  their  Fathers-in-heaven.  "  'Some 
projected  a  Spark.  Some  deferred  till  the  Fourth. 
.  .  .  Those  who  entered  became  Ahrats.  Those 
who  received  but  a  Spark,  remained  destitute  of 
(higher)  knowledge.  .  .  .  The  Third  remained 
mindless.'  This  stanza  contains,  in  itself,  the  whole 
key  to  the  mysteries  of  evil,  the  so-called  Fall  of  the 
Angels,  and  the  many  problems  that  have  puzzled  the 
brains  of  the  Philosophers  from  the  time  that  the 
memory  of  man  began.  It  solves  the  secret  of  the 
subsequent  inequalities  of  intellectual  capacity,  of  birth 
and  social  position,  and  gives  a  logical  explanation  of 
the  incomprehensible  Karmic  course  throughout  the 
eons  which  followed."1  These  differences  were  not 
the  result  of  injustice,  but  were  due  to  the  inequalities 
of  the  animal  organisms,  just  as  we  find  today  in  a 
field  of  wheat — all  of  which  was  planted  at  the  same 
time,  with  the  same  seed,  and  in  the  same  soil — vary- 
ing degrees  of  perfection,  some  ripe  for  the  harvest, 
others  unripe,  others  not  yet  begun  to  head  out.  The 
great  Law  shows  no  partiality.  All  will  reach  their 
perfection  in  due  season. 

As  involution  progressed  the  response  of  matter  to 
the  molding  and  guiding  power  of  Spirit  became 
less  and  less,  proportionate  to  the  increasing  density 
of  the  forms  through  which  it  had  to  act.  And 
only  when  the  human  brain  had  evolved  into  a 
fit  instrument  to  respond  to  the  Divine  Spark  could 

1  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky,  Vol.  II;   170-171. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  235 

man  become  a  rational  self-conscious  being.  Until 
then  he  was  merely  a  human-animal,  begetting  his 
kind  according  to  animal  instinct  but  unable  consciously 
to  create  according  to  his  will  and  desire.  "He  has 
now  a  perfectly  concrete  or  compacted  body,  at  first 
the  form  of  a  giant-ape,  and  now  more  intelligent,  or 
rather  cunning,  than  spiritual.  For,  on  the  down- 
ward arc,  he  has  now  reached  a  point  where  his  pri- 
mordial spirituality  is  eclipsed  and  overshadowed  by 
nascent  mentality.  In  the  last  half  of  the  Third  (Race) 
his  gigantic  stature  decreases  and  his  body  improves 
in  texture,  and  he  becomes  a  more  rational  being, 
though  still  more  an  ape  than  a  Deva."  l 

The  Fourth  Race,  like  the  Fourth  Globe  or  Round, 
is  the  lowest  point  of  involution,  or  the  turning  point. 
The  gift  of  mind  having  evolved  through  all  the  ages 
of  the  Third,  and  the  first  part  of  the  Fourth  Race, 
reached  its  truly  human  stage  about  the  middle  point 
of  the  Fourth.  "The  (hitherto)  dumb  races  acquired 
our  (present)  human  speech  on  this  Globe,  on  which, 
from  the  Fourth  Race,  language  is  perfected  and 
knowledge  increases." 1  At  that  time  the  psychic 
powers  held  sway  but  were  beginning  to  be  dominated 
by  the  rapidly  developing  intellect  and  will.  Under 
the  guidance  of  his  Divine  Ancestors  man  had  been 
taught  all  the  arts  and  sciences  as  well  as  the  control 
and  proper  use  of  all  the  powers  within  himself  and  in 
Nature.  When  he  had  grown  up  as  it  were,  his  divine 
Instructors  withdrew  leaving  him  free  to  use  his  pow- 
ers as  he  would,  and  of  his  own  free-will  put  into  prac- 
tice the  precepts  They  had  inculcated.  But  with  the 
exercise  of  free-will  the  temptation  to  use  his  great 
knowledge  for  his  own  sensuous  pleasure  and  for  his 
selfish  aggrandizement  was  too  great  and  gradually 

*Ibid,  Vol.  I;  211. 
2  Ibid,    Vol.    I;    211. 


236  The  Voice  of  his 

he  chose  to  follow  the  lure  of  the  senses  rather 
than  the  call  of  the  Spirit.  It  was  during  this 
period  of  evolution  that  the  seeds  of  Karma  were 
sown,  whose  terrible  harvest  the  world  as  a  whole  has 
been  and  still  is  reaping  even  unto  this  day.  His  spir- 
itual Progenitors,  seeing  the  awful  results  of  man's 
failure,  in  love  and  mercy,  temporarily  removed  the 
greater  part  of  the  Race  from  the  scene  of  its  debase- 
ment through  the  great  cataclysms  which  destroyed 
the  continent  of  Atlantis,  a  memory  of  which  is  re- 
corded in  the  scriptures  of  many  nations  today  as  the 
Great  Flood. 

Many  legends  are  extant  concerning  the  nations  of 
that  Fourth  or  Atlantean  Race.  And  today  a  new 
interest  in  their  histories  is  awakening  in  the  minds 
of  all  classes  of  thinkers,  and  many  theories  and  even 
circumstantial  accounts  are  being  given  out  concern- 
ing their  civilizations.  The  reason  for  this  is  that 
those  Souls  who  formerly  composed  the  Atlantean 
Race  are  now  reincarnating  in  large  numbers  in  the 
western  world  where  they  must  re-acquire  their  former 
knowledge,  redeem  the  failures  of  the  past,  and  rise  to 
a  higher  stage  of  spirituality  than  ever  before. 

The  Atlantean  Race  was  the  culminating  point  in 
the  evolution  of  the  physical,  mental,  and  psychic 
powers.  Their  intellectual  powers  had  reached  as 
great  perfection  as  their  physical  and  psychic  powers, 
but  spirituality  was  more  or  less  dormant.  The  result 
was  that  they  controlled  and  manipulated  the  physical 
and  psychic  currents  of  force  and  dominated  both  the 
animal  and  elemental  worlds.  They  thus  reached  a 
stage  of  civilization  in  some  respects  far  higher  than 
man  has  subsequently  attained.  In  our  present  Race, 
however,  this  same  degree  of  perfection  must  again 
be  attained,  but  dominated  by  the  higher  spiritual  evo- 


The  Voice  of  Isis  237 

lution.  It  is  this  culmination  that  we  are  now  rapidly 
attaining  and  for  which  the  advanced  Souls  of  the 
former  Race  are  again  incarnating.  It  is  the 
Atlantean  civilization  which  is  symbolized  by  the 
Tower  of  Babel,  a  civilization  whose  base  rested 
on  earth  but  whose  top  reached  into  the  higher  realms 
farther  than  man  of  that  day  was  entitled  to  go.  By 
the  perversion  and  debasement  of  their  powers,  their 
impurity  and  selfishness,  they  fell  into  monstrous  evils. 
Striving  only  for  personal  power  and  gratification 
many  became  terrible  black  magicians,  misusing  and 
perverting  the  forces  of  life. 

All,  however,  were  not  wicked,  some  followed  the 
precepts  of  their  divine  Teachers  and  used  their  great 
powers  for  good.  Certain  of  these  were  gathered 
together — especially  out  of  the  fifth  sub-race — and  dur- 
ing the  sixth  and  seventh  sub-races  were  taught  by 
the  "Sons  of  God"  how  to  perpetuate  the  sacred  teach- 
ings and  carry  them  over  the  period  of  the  cataclysms 
which  marked  the  close  of  the  Race.  They  thus  be- 
came the  teachers  and  guides  of  future  Races,  as 
symbolized  by  the  Bible  story  of  Noah.  During  the 
sixth  and  seventh  sub-races  all  classes  were  warned  of 
the  coming  disasters  by  their  spiritual  Teachers  and 
were  exhorted  to  repentance  and  a  change  of  life.  All 
who  listened  and  believed  escaped  and  settled  in  various 
distant  mountainous  regions.  This  teaching  is  cor- 
roborated by  the  discovery  today,  in  such  widely 
separated  countries  as  Egypt,  India,  Central  and  South 
America,  of  similar  and  even  identical  hieroglyphics, 
symbols,  architecture,  etc.  The  reign  of  the  black 
magicians  grew  worse  and  worse  and  the  enslavement 
of  their  fellow  men  and  the  perversion  of  their  forces 
became  more  awful  until  the  earth's  crust  could  no 
longer  withstand  the  perverted  currents  of  force, 


238  The  Voice  of  Isis 

and  after  a  series  of  cataclysms  lasting  through  the 
sixth  and  seventh  sub-races  it  finally  sank  beneath  the 
waves.  Owing  to  these  cataclysms  great  numbers 
emigrated  to  distant  lands  and  became  the  seed  from 
which  sprung  the  great  masses  of  the  present  Race. 
In  fact,  the  yellow  races  of  Eastern  Asia  today  are 
their  direct  descendants. 

History  repeats  itself,  and  the  same  thing  is  hap- 
pening today.  Humanity  is  being  warned  through 
various  sources.  Prophets  today  as  of  old  are  pro- 
claiming the  near  approach  of  catastrophes  and 
cataclysms  and  the  call  to  repentance,  love,  and 
brotherhood  is  heard  in  the  land.  The  approach- 
ing cataclysms,  however,  will  not  be  as  widespread 
as  those  of  Atlantis,  the  close  of  this  cycle  being 
but  the  close  of  a  sub-race  (fifth)  instead  of  a  Great 
Race. 

The  Fifth  Great  Race  is  our  present  red  or  white 
Aryan  Race,  the  characteristic  of  which  is  the  in- 
creasing spiritualization  of  matter  through  man. 
Up  to  the  turning  point  at  the  middle  of  the  Fourth 
Race  spirit  was  being  involved  into  matter,  but 
from  that  time  on  matter  has  been  evolving  toward 
Spirit.  We  have  evolved  through  the  sub-races  of  this 
Fifth  Race  until  we  are  now  just  entering  upon  its 
sixth  sub-race.  During  this  coming  sub-race  the 
seed  will  be  planted  of  that  which  will  be  reaped 
by  the  Sixth  Great  Race,  just  as  the  fifth  sub-race 
of  the  Atlanteans  planted  the  seed  of  this  present 
Fifth  Great  Race.  This  Fifth  Race,  however,  has 
some  sixteen  thousand  years  of  its  cycle  still  left  ere 
the  close  of  its  seventh  sub-race  and  the  great  cata- 
clysms which  will  mark  its  end. 

In  the  Sixth  Great  Race  the  Christ-principle  will 
find  its  greatest  expression,  and  its  greatest  power 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  239 

in  and  over  matter,  thus  spiritualizing  and  lifting 
both  life  and  matter  on  all  planes  into  a  higher 
state.  This  Race  must  also  witness  the  culmination 
and  fulfillment  through  Divine  Love  of  all  the 
efforts  put  forth  during  all  previous  Races.  Thus 
will  it  usher  in  the  Golden  Age.  This  Race  will 
cover  but  a  short  period  of  time  as  compared  with 
the  earlier  Races. 

The  Seventh  Race  will  bring  into  manifestation 
the  Golden  Age  and  synthesise  all  that  has  been 
gained,  thus  becoming  the  great  Fulfillment,  the 
culmination  of  man's  evolution  in  this  Day-period  or 
Round.  During  this  Race  the  highest  attainments  of 
man's  evolution  will  be  gathered  up  preparatory  to 
informing  the  humanity  of  a  new  Globe  or  Day-period, 
the  Fifth  Round. 

As  in  the  days  of  Atlantis,  so  today.  Those  whose 
hearts  can  respond  to  the  higher  note  today  being 
imparted  to  humanity  through  the  various  avenues 
of  teaching  utilized  by  the  Progenitors  of  man,  will 
first  be  prepared  then  gathered  together  into  a  defi- 
nite Center  of  civilization  where  they  can  have  an 
opportunity  to  receive  the  direct  teaching  and  guid- 
ance of  the  same  Great  Souls  who  have  always  pre- 
pared for  the  re-unfoldment  of  wisdom  at  certain 
cyclic  intervals.  This  great  Center,  however,  will 
not  be  limited  to  any  one  sect,  avenue  of  teaching 
or  any  one  organization,  society,  or  order,  but  will 
be  composed  of  all  those  symbolized  in  Revelation 
by  the  mystic  "hundred  and  forty  and  four  thousand" 
who  stood  on  Mount  Sion  "having  their  Father's 
name  written  in  their  foreheads."  In  other  words, 
those  who  have  received  their  mystical  name  and 
through  the  power  of  The  Christ  have  developed 
their  spiritual  perceptions.  Every  movement  which 


240  The  Voice  of  Isis 

is  striving  to  give  out  pure  spiritual  teachings  is  an 
avenue  used  by  the  Great  Ones  to  reach  a  certain 
class  of  persons,  but  only  those  who  are  ready  and 
have  received  the  mystic  mark  in  their  foreheads 
will  be  able  to  enter  in. 

The  Order  of  the  15,  being  composed  largely  of  the 
reincarnated  Souls  who  in  the  days  of  ancient 
Atlantis  were  entrusted  with  the  task  of  preparing 
a  place  of  refuge  and  promulgating  the  arcane 
teachings,  must  again  take  up  the  reincarnated 
work;  for  ideas,  teachings  and  movements  incarnate 
as  well  as  Souls.  All  who  at  that  time  responded  to 
its  call  will  naturally  be  attracted  to  this  particular 
movement  today,  and  according  to  their  point  of 
development  and  the  work  they  accomplished  then 
will  they  be  given  a  special  place  and  a  special  work 
to  do  in  the  preparation  for  the  coming  of  the  new 
sub-race.  Many  who  repudiated  the  teachings  in 
those  days  and  through  the  resulting  suffering  have 
learned  their  lessons  will  through  this  Order  be 
given  another  opportunity  to  retrieve  the  past  and 
take  an  advanced  step  in  their  spiritual  life. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  SYMBOL  OF  THE  SERPENT. 

"Now  the  serpent  was  more  subtil  than  any 
beast  of  the  field  which  the  Lord  God  had  made. 
And  he  said  unto  the  woman,  Yea,  hath  God  said, 
Ye  shall  not  eat  of  every  tree  of  the  garden? 
And  the  woman  said  unto  the  serpent,  We  may 
eat  of  the  fruit  of  the  trees  of  the  garden :  but 
of  the  fruit  of  the  tree  which  is  .in  the  midst  of 
the  garden,  God  hath  said,  Ye  shall  not  eat  of 
it,  neither  shall  ye  touch  it,  lest  ye  die.  And  the 
serpent  said  unto  the  woman,  Ye  shall  not  surely 
die:  For  God  doth  know  that  in  the  day  ye  eat 
thereof,  then  your  eyes  shall  be  opened,  and  ye 
shall  be  as  gods,  knowing  good  and  evil." — Gen- 
esis, III.  1-5. 

In  that  remote  period,  during  which  both  sacred 
and  profane  history  admit  the  fact  that  the  gods 
confabulated  with  infant  humanity,  the  serpent  was 
the  symbol  of  the  god  Saturn  (in  Egypt  Sat-An, 
later  Saturn),  giver  of  esoteric  Wisdom,  one  of  the 
Elohim,  the  Sons  of  God.  He  is  referred  to  in  Job 
as  the  Great  Initiator  sent  by  the  Lord  to  test  Job,1 
the  whole  book  of  Job  being  the  story  of  an  initia- 
tion. From  the  earliest  ages  the  serpent  was  recog- 
nized as  the  symbol  of  Esoteric  Wisdom.  Many 
nations  worshiped  it  as  the  symbol  of  the  Sun,  the 
Giver  of  Life.  Only  during  the  Dark  Ages  of  medi- 
aeval history  was  it  degraded  and  limited  to  signify 
the  force  of  evil  or  D-evil.  Jesus  recognized  the 
serpent  as  a  symbol  of  good  when  He  admonished 
His  disciples :  "Be  ye  therefore  wise  as  serpents 
and  harmless  as  doves."  The  Assyrian  priests  were 
called  Serpents,  as  were  also  the  Druid  priests.  The 

lJob  I.,  6. 


242  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

Masters  of  Wisdom,  and  all  Initiates  into  the  Sa- 
cred Mysteries,  are  called  Nagas,  or  Serpents  of 
Wisdom,  because,  by  overcoming  temptation  they 
are  said  to  have  cast  off  their  outer  skin  and  to 
have  been  "born  again,"  thus  becoming  Sons  of 
Will  and  Wisdom,  and  immortal ;  they  have  met 
the  Great  Initiator  and  have  wrested  from  him  his 
Rod  of  Power.  Again  the  serpent  is  an  old  glyph 
for  the  Astral  Light,  the  medium  of  both  white  and 
black  magic,  good  in  its  spiritual  aspect,  but  evil  in 
its  lower.  "The  primitive  symbol  of  the  serpent  symbol- 
ized divine  Wisdom  and  Perfection,  and  has  always 
stood  for  psychical  Regeneration  and  Immortality."  l 
Hermes  called  the  serpent  the  most  spiritual  of  all 
creatures.  Moses,  initiated  into  the  wisdom  of 
Hermes,  called  it,  "More  subtil  than  any  beast  of 
the  field."  "The  strange  veneration  in  which  the 
Ophites  held  the  serpent  which  represented  Christos 
may  become  less  perplexing  if  the  students  would 
but  remember  that  at  all  ages  the  serpent  was  the 
symbol  of  divine  wisdom,  which  kills  in  order  to 
resurrect,  destroys  but  to  rebuild  the  better.  Moses 
is  made  a  descendant  of  Levi,  a  serpent-tribe. 
Gautama-Buddha  is  of  a  serpent-lineage,  through 
the  Naga  (serpent)  race  of  kings  who  reigned  in 
Magadha.  Hermes,  or  the  god  Taaut  (Thoth), 
in  his  snake-symbol  is  Tet;  and  according  to  the 
Ophite  legends,  Jesus  or  Christos  is  born  from 
a  snake  (divine  Wisdom  or  Holy  Ghost)  i.  e., 
he  became  a  Son  of  God  through  his  initiation  into 
the  'Serpent  Science.'  "  z 

From  time  immemorial  the  serpent  has  symbol- 
ized the  sex-force,  good  when  lifted  up — as  Moses 

1  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky,  Vol.  I.  page  102.  The  Sacred 
Dragon  of  China  and  Japan,  indicating  the  divine  origin  of  the  rulers, 
has  the  same  significance. 

*Isis   Unrciled,   Blavatsky,   Vol.11,   484. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  243 

lifted  it  up  in  the  wilderness,  that  all  who  were  suf- 
fering and  dying  from  the  stings  of  the  poisonous  vi- 
pers (perversions  of  the  sex-force)  might  be  healed  by 
the  vision  of  Purity  revealed  by  Brazen  Serpent — 
evil  when  allowed  to  crawl  in  the  mire  of  earth, 
biting  the  heel  of  the  woman  and  placing  enmity 
between  her  seed  and  it.  It  is  said  that:  "Before 
our  globe  became  egg-shaped — and  the  Universe 
also — 'a  long  trail  of  cosmic  dust  (or  fire-mist) 
moved  and  writhed  like  a  serpent  in  space.'  "  1  Thus 
our  globe  was  prepared  by  the  serpent-force  for  the 
great  test  humanity  came  to  this  planet  to  exper- 
ience, i.  e.,  the  ability  to  control  the  creative  power 
and  create  "in  the  image  of  God,"  through  the  spir- 
itualization  and  perfect  blending  of  the  separated 
sexes.  This  great  lesson  when  learned  will  enable 
man  to  become  "as  one  of  us"  or  Divine. 

After  man  became  involved  in  matter  (as  out- 
lined in  Chapter  XIII)  and  the  androgynous  Third 
Race  had  gradually  evolved  through  its  various  stages 
the  separation  of  the  sexes  took  place.  This,  how- 
ever, was  not  a  sudden  change  affecting  the  entire 
Race,  but  was  the  result  of  a  gradual  evolution 
lasting  through  the  entire  latter  half  of  that  Race. 
This  is  symbolized  by  the  story  of  Eve  being  taken 
from  Adam,  solus,  while  he  was  in  a  deep  sleep,  the 
deep  sleep  being  the  pralaya  or  night-period  be- 
tween the  Third  and  Fourth  Races,  during  which 
the  separation  was  perfected.  The  word  Adam 
means  "red  earth"  and  refers  to  the  Third  Race  in 
which  the  humanity  of  the  Red  Ray  was  first 
clother  in  an  earthly  body.  The  Adam  and  Eve 
spoken  of  later  as  one  man  and  one  woman,  sym- 
bolize the  sexes  functioning  separately  in  the  great 

1  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Vol.  I.,  p.  103.  Many  ancient  people  believed 
that  the  earth  was  hatched  from  a  serpent's  egg. 


244  The  Voice  of  his 

Atlantean  or  Fourth  Race.  Hence  at  the  dawn  of 
the  Fourth  Race  the  androgynous  forms  of  the  early 
Third  Race  had  disappeared  and  only  the  separated 
sexual  forms  known  to  us  today  remained. 

In  one  sense  the  Garden  of  Eden  symbolizes  the 
pure  and  perfect  physical  body  in  which  infant  hu- 
manity was  originally  clothed.  According  to  the 
same  symbology  the  Tree  which  is  in  the  midst  of 
the  Garden  is  the  spinal  cord,  the  sap  of  which 
is  the  Kundalini- force1  (serpent- force),  a  dynamic 
creative  power  functioning  through  the  spinal  cord, 
its  lower  aspect  being  expressed  through  the  sex 
organs,  and  its  higher  aspect  functioning  through 
the  pineal  gland.2  The  Fruit  of  this  Tree  is  the 
spiritual  power  gained  as  is  the  result  of  the  open- 
ing of  that  what  is  known  as  the  Third  Eye.  As  man, 
through  experience,'  gains  Wisdom  he  uses  this 
mystic  power  gradually  to  bring  about  its  higher 
physical  manifestations  as  well  as  the  psychic  and 
spiritual.  It  slowly  ascends  the  spinal  cord  through 
the  central  canal  until  it  reaches  and  stimulates 
into  activity  the  pineal  gland,  the  functioning  of 
which  is  called  the  opening  of  the  Eye  of  Wisdom. 
It  is  not,  however,  the  physiological  change  in  this 
organ  which  opens  man's  consciousness  to  Divine 
Wisdom,  but — following  the  biological  law  "func- 
tion makes  structure" — it  is  the  attainment  of  the 
higher  function  which  results  in  the  anatomical  and 
physiological  change.  Only  through  the  function- 
ing of  this  Kundalini  power  can  mankind  gain  the 
experience  that  both  good  and  evil  have  to  teach. 

A  moment's  thought  as  to  these  early  symbol- 

1  "The  'power'  and  the  'World-Mother'  are  names  given  to  the  kun- 
dalini — one  of  the  mystic  'Yogi  powers.'    ....    It  is  an  electro-spiritual 
force,   a  creative  power  which   when   aroused   into  action,   can   as   easily 
kill  as  it  can  create." — The  Voice  of  Silence,  Blavatsky.  Note  to  page  9. 

2  The  Third  Eye,   or   Seat  of  the  Soul. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  245 

isms  will  show  that  there  is  an  underlying  mean- 
ing common  to  all  (Saturn  the  Initiator,  Satan  the 
Tempter,  the  Astral  Light,  the  Creative  Power  of 
sex,  et  cetera),  namely,  that  it  is,  in  very  truth,  the 
power  to  become  "as  gods"  that  is  indicated.  Being 
the  distinctive  heritage  of  the  Fourth  Race,  this 
power  to  create  sexually  became  at  one  and  the 
same  time  the  great  temptation  and  the  great 
opportunity.  In  fact,  it  was  the  one  experience  for 
which  this  globe  was  created  and  for  which  human- 
ity fell  into  generation  and  became  clothed  with 
"coats  of  skin." 

The  infant  Race  at  its  outset  was  confronted  by 
the  Initiator,  Saturn,  the  Serpent,  who  was  commis- 
sioned to  impart,  as  the  crowning  gift,  the  creative 
power — which  humanity  only  then  was  prepared  to 
receive.  The  so-called  "temptation"  was  but  a  test 
of  man's  ability  either  to  use  or  abuse  this  divine 
gift.  Ever  since  that  time  man  and  woman,  indi- 
vidually, have  had  to  meet  the  same  test.  Man 
created  in  the  image  of  God,  and  endowed  with  the 
God-power  of  creativeness,  must  prove  his  ability 
to  use  this  power  wisely,  or,  through  its  abuse, 
learn  the  lesson  and  gain  through  suffering  the  ex- 
perience that  physical  existence  in  separated  sexes 
alone  can  teach.  The  power  was  given  him  not  as 
a  temptation  but  as  a  step  in  evolution  through 
which  he  must  pass  in  perfect  purity.  Just  as  in 
this  day  a  teacher  who  gives  out  a  new  advanced 
truth  is  condemned  for  the  evil  resulting  from  its 
misuse,  so  Saturn  (Satan),  has  had  to  bear  the 
responsibility  arising  from  the  failure  of  man  to  use 
the  creative  power  in  purity  and  holiness.  Man  has 
chosen  to  become  "as  gods"  knowing  the  evil 
through  the  misuse  of  this  power,  but,  ere  the  cycle 


246  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

closes,  must  become  "as  gods"  to  know  the  good. 

The  culmination  of  his  degradation  was  reached  by 
the  Atlanteans,  who  not  only  used  this  force  for 
animal  gratification,  but  also  perverted  it  to  ac- 
complish their  horrible  practices  of  black  magic. 
It  was  for  this  sin  that  the  continent  of  Atlantis 
and  most  of  its  inhabitants  were  destroyed.1  While 
the  sinking  of  Atlantis  destroyed  much  of  the  dan- 
gerous knowledge  of  how  to  pervert  this  force  into 
black  magic  or  evil,  yet  enough  remained  to  per- 
petuate evil  and  misery  on  earth  and  make  a  hell 
out  of  what  was  given  to  man  to  be  his  Paradise. 
The  whole  experience,  including  the  sin  and  suf- 
fering which  the  perversion  of  this  force  has  created, 
is  an  initiation,  not  only  for  the  Race,  but  also  for 
the  planet,  which  when  successfully  passed  will 
make  the  planet  the  completion  of  the  octave  of 
this  system  and  the  beginning  of  a  new  and  greater 
system. 

The  banishment  of  Adam  and  Eve  from  Eden 
was  due  to  the  fact  they  could  not  face  the  Flaming 
Sword  of  Purity,  which  turned  every  way  and 
barred  them  from  obtaining  the  Fruit  of  the  Tree. 
This  banishment  meant  that  man  could  no  longer 
dwell  in  the  etherealized  body  (Eden)  with  his  spir- 
itual faculties  freely  functioning  and  able  to  talk 
face  to  face  with  God.  Instead,  the  Immortal  Soul 
is  forced  to  dwell  in  a  body  of  dense  physical  mat- 
ter with  the  spiritual  centers  dormant,  so  that  only 
by  the  sweat  of  his  brow  can  he  obtain  spiritual 
bread.  This  means  that  only  by  laborious  effort 
can  man  open  the  inner  doors  that  communicate 
with  the  higher  planes  and  consciously  bring  to 
himself  the  spiritual  food  upon  which  his  Soul 

1  The  destruction  recorded  in  Babylonian,  Chaldean,  Hebrew  and 
other  Scriptures,  in  the  story  of  the  great  flood. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  247 

must  live.  At  every  attempt  to  re-enter  Eden  man 
is  met  by  the  Angel  of  the  Flaming  Sword  placed 
by  God  to  guard  the  Tree  of  Immortal  Life  from 
man's  impurity. 

"Thou  shalt  surely  die"  is  usually  considered  a 
penalty  for  man's  defilement  of  Eden,  but  in  reality 
even  this  death  sentence  was  but  the  working  of 
the  immutable  Law  of  Divine  Love ;  for  immortal- 
ity under  conditions  of  impurity,  sickness  and  suf- 
fering, would  be  a  punishment  far  surpassing  even 
the  medieval  conceptions  of  a  physical  hell.  Only 
when  man  can  face  this  Sword  of  the  Spirit  and 
allow  it  to  cleave  from  him  every  cloak  of  impurity 
and  once  more  enter  the  Garden  naked  but  not 
ashamed,  can  he  meet  "The  Lord  God  walking  in 
the  Garden  in  the  cool  of  the  day."  "The  cool  of 
the  day"  refers  to  the  close  of  the  cycle  of  wander- 
ing outside  the  Garden,  the  "day-period"  the  period 
of  stress  and  strain,  of  heat  and  passion,  which  both 
the  individual  and  the  Race  must  face  and  conquer 
ere  they  can  attain  poise  or  cool,  quiet  perception, 
in  which  state  alone  they  can  become  aware  of  the 
Lord  God  or  the  Law  of  Good  manifesting  in  the 
garden  of  their  human  personality. 

The  so-called  temptation  was  the  act  of  one  of 
the  Sons  of  God  who  was  the  direct  channel 
through  which  the  power  to  create  reached  human- 
ity. The  giver  of  this  gift,  Saturn,  or  Lucifer,  Star 
of  the  Morning,  is  a  bright  Archangel,  who  "fell" 
or  descended  from  heaven  to  confer  this  gift  of  im- 
mortality upon  man.  Saturn  or  Satan  is  that  aspect  of 
Jehovah  which  brought  humanity  its  great  test,  and  in 
this  sense  may  be  regarded  as  its  tempter  or  Initiator, 
while  Lucifer  is  the  aspect  of  that  same  force  which 
confers  the  crown  of  victory  on  those  who  conquer. 


248  The  Voice  of  Isis 

There  are  many  passages  referring  to  him  as  one  of 
the  Elohim. 

"This  personification  denominated  Satan  is  to  be 
contemplated  from  three  different  planes:  the  Old 
Testament,  the  Christian  Fathers,  and  the  ancient  Gen- 
tile attitude.  He  is  supposed  to  have  been  represented 
by  the  Serpent  in  the  Garden  of  Eden;  nevertheless, 
the  epithet  of  Satan  is  nowhere  in  the  Hebreiv  sacred 
writings  applied  to  that  or  any  other  form  of  ophid- 
ian." 1  His  so-called  "fall"  was  by  no  means  one  of 
sin  or  failure,  but  a  voluntary  descent  to  earth  to 
bring  to  man  the  Creative  Fire,  the  gift  of  the 
gods;  for  only  through  the  mastery  and  proper  use 
of  this  force  can  immortality  be  obtained.  The 
story  of  Prometheus  is  but  another  expression  of 
this  ideograph. 

There  is  no  evil  outside  mankind  that  can  pro- 
duce a  Satan  in  the  orthodox  sense  of  a  devil.  It 
is  only  through  terrible  perversions  of  the  creative 
power  that  it  has  become  the  Evil  or  D-evil.  As 
time  passed,  by  his  vile,  lustful  thoughts  on  this 
subject  and  his  misuse  of  the  life-force,  man  has 
created  a  composite  thought-form  which  may  be 
said  to  be  entitized  into  a  living  force  of  evil  (com- 
monly called  the  devil),  which,  with  an  army  of  so- 
called  lesser  devils,  arrayed  in  serried  ranks,  con- 
tinually fights  against  the  power  of  Good  (God). 
These  are  the  vipers  that  tormented  the  Children  of 
Israel,  and  all  other  races.  This  army  must  be  met 
by  Good,  and  will  be  annihilated  only  when 
thought-forms  of  Purity  are  sent  forth  by  man  in 
sufficient  numbers  and  force  to  overcome  the  evil 
creations.  Being  the  creation  of  man,  functioning 
in  his  lowest  aspect,  this  evil  can  be  conquered 

*Isis  Unveiled,  Blavatsky,  Vol.  II,  481. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  249 

only  by  man,  its  creator.  The  conquering  must 
take  the  form  of  a  transmutation,  i.  e.,  the  substitu- 
tion of  vitalized  thoughts  of  love  and  purity  for 
those  of  lust  and  evil. 

In  the  childhood  of  the  Race  a  great  wave  of  ser- 
pent worship,  originally  intended  to  symbolize  this 
truth  in  its  purity,  spread  over  the  world.  This, 
however,  in  time  became  degraded,  and  the  reptile 
itself  was  finally  worshiped  as  a  god.  It  was  kept 
in  a  filthy  den  and  the  youth  and  beauty  of  the 
land  were  thrown  to  it  for  prey.  It  was  fed  on 
human  beings  until  it  grew  fat  and  the  stench  of  it 
filled  all  the  Temple,  even  to  the  outer  courts. 
Humanity  is  again  walking  in  the  same  old  paths, 
according  to  the  law  of  cycles,  and  today  is  but  re- 
peating the  sad  story  upon  a  higher  plane  (the 
mental).  First,  undue  exaltation  and  worship,  as 
witnessed  in  the  days  of  phallicism.  then  materiali- 
zation and  consequent  defilement,  until  today  the 
world's  idea  of  the  serpent-power  (sex)  is  that  of  a 
monster  grown  fat  upon  the  youth  and  beauty  of  the 
land. 

The  teachings  in  regard  to  the  sex-function  have 
always  been  held  most  sacred,  and  for  this  reason 
they  have  been  veiled  from  humanity  in  general  and 
revealed  only  to  those  whose  purity  of  heart  and 
life  permitted  them  to  grasp  something  of  their 
deeper  truths.  Because  of  this  veiling  of  the  truth, 
there  have  sprung  up  in  the  minds  of  those  not 
instructed  in  the  Mysteries  many  misconceptions, 
chief  of  which  is  that  this  great  God-given  power  is 
in  and  of  itself  inherently  impure  and  accursed. 
This  belief  has  given  rise  to  doctrines  which  teach 
man  to  despise  and  try  to  kill  out  this  greatest  of 
gifts.  But  as  Jong  as  this  serpent  of  sex  is  accursed 


250  The  Voice  of  Isis 

and  degraded  by  man's  thought,  it  is  doomed  to 
crawl  upon  the  ground  and  bring  forth  its  progeny 
of  vipers  in  darkness  and  filth,  and  woman  is  doomed 
to  conceive  and  bring  forth  in  pain  and  suffering 
instead  of  Purity  and  Joy.  Woman  has  suffered  the 
most,  but  by  that  suffering  she  should  have  developed 
her  spiritual  intuition. 

The  sex-force  is  considered  impure  only  because  the 
spiritually  blind  have  decreed  that  it  shall  be  considered 
impure.  They  assume  that  they  are  wiser  and 
holier  than  He  who  created  them,  He  who  breathed 
into  them  the  Living  Fire  of  creative  force.  Being 
wiser  than  the  gods,  they  have  decreed  that  the  nor- 
mal expression  of  the  sex-function  (within  the  mar- 
ried relation)  shall  be  considered  vile  and  that  it 
shall  be  suppressed.  The  result  is  already  appar- 
ent. Go  over  the  world's  history  and  you  will  find 
that,  after  every  period1  during  which  the  marriage 
relation,  consummated  in  pure  and  holy  love,  was 
relegated  to  second  place  in  gaining  spiritual  de- 
velopment, and  the  normal  sex-function  was  taught 
to  be  inherently  impure  and  calculated  to  hold  back 
the  participants  from  spiritual  growth  and  final 
liberation,  that  it  was  something  to  be  suppressed 
and  killed  out,  there  invariably  followed  a  wave  of 
licentiousness  in  which  filthy  substitutes,  practiced 
for  so-called  "mere  physical  relief,"  were  not  only 
condoned,  but  taught  as  preferable  to  the  normal 
relation !  and  taught  in  the  name  of  religion !  or 
spiritual  development !  or  "occult"  or  "esoteric"  sci- 
ence ! 

If  such  practices  were  advocated  by  the  outcasts 
of  humanity  the  world  would  stand  aghast,  and 
societies  for  the  suppression  of  the  vice  would 
quickly  spring  up.  But  when  such  perverted  teach- 

Periods  during  which  celibacy  was  held  to  be  the  ideal. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  251 

ings  are  given  out  under  the  name  of  "spiritual"  or 
"esoteric"  truth  (as  though  secrecy  could  make 
impurity  pure!)  by  those  who  are  well  advanced 
upon  the  Path,  many,  many  blinded  ones  forget 
even  the  common  standards  of  morality  and  de- 
cency, and  eagerly  clutch  at  such  an  excuse  for  the 
gratification  of  inherent  vileness  under  the  cloak 
of  "esoteric  teaching"  which  lends  to  it  an  air  of 
respectability.  "The  greater  the  height  attained 
the  more  disastrous  the  fall."  The  greater  the 
influence  of  such  a  teacher  the  more  serious  and  far- 
reaching  the  effects  of  the  lapse  from  Purity. 
Instead  of  there  being  any  latitude  permitted  to 
those  who  are  advanced  upon  the  Path  of  Attain- 
ment, the  rules  are  far  more  strict.  What  would  be 
but  a  slight  lapse  from  virtue  in  a  savage  or  in  the 
ignorant,  becomes  a  cyclone  of  iniquity  sweeping 
many  before  it,  in  one  who  has  entered  the  inner 
degrees  of  occultism ;  for  upon  each  inner  step 
every  vibration  is  multiplied  a  thousand  fold.  This 
is  why  the  disciple  should  absolutely  master  (gain 
perfect  control  of,  not  suppress)  all  life-forces  ere  he 
attempts  to  enter  the  inner  degrees,  or  his  failure 
is  foreordained.  Let  this  point  be  clearly  under- 
stood, there  can  be  no  spiritual  teachings,  of  any  kind, 
either  esoteric  of  exoteric,  that  are  not  founded  upon 
absolute  Purity,  not  only  of  body  but  of  mind.  The 
higher  and  more  esoteric  the  teaching,  the  more 
rigid  the  standard  of  Purity.  All  planes  interblend, 
and  all  acts  upon  the  physical-plane  have  their  cor- 
respondences upon  all  other  planes.  Therefore, 
what  is  impure  on  the  lowest  plane  is  a  thousand 
times  more  so  upon  each  successive  inner  plane.  If 
a  pilgrim  were  approaching  a  sacred  shrine  he 
would  not  knowingly  enter  with  his  feet  slimed 


252  The  Voice  of  Isis 

with  the  mud  of  the  public  highway,  and  hope  to 
leave  no  stain  upon  the  pure  alabaster  floor  of  the 
inner  court,  for  even  the  faintest  footprint  would  be 
more  noticeable  there  than  the  filth  that  covered 
the  public  highway  an  inch  deep. 

This  subject  has  been  the  greatest  stumbling 
block  for  many  teachers  who  are  otherwise  trying 
to  uplift  humanity  because  it  is  the  greatest  test  of 
the  humanity  on  this  globe.  Only  when  this  lesson 
is  learned  will  others  await  it  under  different  condi- 
tions. But  there  must  be  some  brave  Souls  who  are 
willing  now  to  face  the  world's  misconceptions  and 
slander  and  stand  boldly  for  the  uplifting  and  puri- 
fying of  this  subject.  The  world  must  be  taught 
the  difference  between  the  wise,  normal  use  of  this 
function  in  perfect  purity,  in  the  married  relation 
only,  and  killing  it  out  or  suppressing  it.  Many 
talk  loudly  about  "overcoming"  and  "killing  out" 
this  force,  but  if  you  could  look  into  their  hearts 
you  would  see  that  their  "overcoming"  is  usually 
but  satiety.  They  have  crawled  through  the  filthy 
places  of  life  and  have  slimed  their  impure  ideas  of 
sex  over  everything  until  they  have  grown  sick. 
Then  they  put  on  monkish  habits,  and  talk  loudly 
about  having  "outgrown  all  such  animal  instincts." 
Many  others  have  never  known  anything  but  the 
impure  side  of  sex.  Their  ideals  have  been  so  shat- 
tered by  contact  with  the  world's  misconceptions 
that  they,  in  their  natural  purity,  have  put  the 
thought  of  it  from  them  as  something  too  vile  to 
be  considered.  This  shrinking  from  the  subject 
is  the  natural  result  of  the  world's  attitude.  For, 
alas,  even  those  who  set  themselves  up  as  teachers 
on  this  subject  are  apt  to  but  stir  up  the  filth  and 
leave  things  worse  than  they  were  before.  This  is 


The  Voice  of  Isis  253 

invariably  the  rule  if  the  world's  standards  of  mor- 
ality are  ruthlessly  set  aside,  especially  those  per- 
taining to  the  legal  marriage  relation,  which  is  not 
only  a  sacred  sacrament — a  symbol  of  the  Marriage 
of  the  Soul,  the  union  with  the  Higher  Self,  becom- 
ing one  with  the  Father-in-heaven — but  is  also  a  bul- 
wark of  safety  to  society  that  must  never,  under  any 
pretext,  be  weakened. 

As  to  the  final  disuse  of  this  function :  As  long  as 
man  has  his  present  anatomical  structure  and  phys- 
iological functions  he  must  learn  how  to  bring  to 
perfection,  purify  and  use  for  its  highest  purpose  the 
body  and  functions  he  now  possesses  and  not  waste 
time  speculating  on  what  conditions  will  obtain  in 
future  world-periods.  For  only  when  new  condi- 
tions are  given  him  can  he  grasp  more  advanced 
lessons.  "It  doth  not  appear  what  we  shall  be;  .  .  . 
I  shall  be  satisfied,  when  I  awake,  with  thy  like- 
ness." But  we  cannot  "awake"  until  we  have  puri- 
fied and  used  every  function  we  possess  for  the 
glory  of  God.  Hence  The  Order  of  the  15  desires 
to  teach  humanity  how  to  prepare  for  the  future 
by  taking  the  next  step  here  and  now. 

The  time  has  come  when  woman  must  take  her 
place  as  the  Priestess  of  the  Most  High,  the  Re- 
vealer  of  Purity  and  Truth  to  man.  She  it  is  who 
must  lift  the  corner  of  the  veil  that  hides  the  face  of 
the  Divine  Mother,  Isis.  Isis  is  called  the  Divine 
Mother  because  hers  is  the  force,  both  in  Nature 
and  humanity,  that  brings  forth.  She  is  spoken  of 
as  having  seven  veils,  alluding  to  the  protection 
thrown  around  the  sacred  mysteries  connected 
with  the  bringing  into  manifestation  of  the  creative 
force  (God-the-Father)  sent  out  through  the  mas- 
culine expression.  The  seven  veils  are  the  mys- 


254  The  Voice  of  Isis 

teries  upon  the  seven  planes  of  consciousness  and 
manifestation.  The  first  and  lowest  of  these  veils, 
the  mystery  of  physical  birth,  has  never  yet  been 
lifted,  nor  can  it  be  by  profane  hands.  In  the  an- 
cient Temples  of  Isis  it  was  death  to  so  much  as 
touch  the  veil  before  Her  shrine,  and  on  many  tab- 
lets recently  unearthed  a  carven  serpent  has  been 
found  having  seven  heads,  which  symbolizes  the 
same  mystery.  The  Phoenicians  are  said  to  have 
originated  the  alphabet  from  the  symbols  made  by 
the  writhing  of  the  sacred  serpents.  This  was  an- 
other advance  (creation)  in  evolution  attributed  to 
the  serpent-god  Saturn,  for  letters  serve  to  manifest 
ideas,  and  their  invention  placed  man  upon  a  new 
step  in  evolution. 

Since  through  the  ages  woman  has  been  made  the 
plaything  of  man  and  taught  to  use  her  powers  to 
entice  and  beguile  him,  as  the  only  method  by  which 
she  could  attain  her  ends,  in  this  new  woman's  era  she 
is  confronted  with  the  task  which  her  training  makes 
most  difficult,  i.  e.,  the  facing  of  herself  and  her  real 
motives.  For  she  must  turn  her  feminine  powers  of 
love,  intuition  and  beauty  to  the  upliftment  of  the  Race 
instead  of  to  the  beguilement  of  man  that  she  may 
satisfy  her  vanity,  love  of  conquest  and  desire  for 
creature  comforts.  Although  man,  being  the  positive 
pole  upon  the  earth-plane,  by  his  superior  physical 
powers  has  throughout  the  ages  enslaved  woman, 
still  woman,  upon  the  more  subtle  plane  of  desire,  has 
dominated  and  enslaved  man.  Hence  it  is  woman 
who  must  break  the  shackles,  first  of  her  own  desires 
and  then  for  the  Race.  This  she  can  never  do  by 
playing  upon  man's  chivalry  to  attain  the  gratification 
of  her  own  ends,  be  those  ends  love,  ambition,  vanity, 
ease  and  comfort  or  whatnot.  Many  otherwise  admir- 


The  Voice  of  Isis  255 

able  women  have  debased  their  god-given  instincts — 
love  of  home  and  desire  for  children — first  by  awaken- 
ing and  playing  upon  man's  animal  passions  to  satisfy 
their  ambition  and  then,  by  appealing  to  his  chivalry, 
forcing  him  into  what  must  inevitably  prove  an  un- 
happy marriage.  For  quite  as  many  men  are  blinded 
and  led  from  the  path  of  purity  because  of  woman's 
ambitions  and  desires  as  women  are  led  astray  through 
man's  passion.  And  until  woman  awakens  to  her 
responsibility  and  understands  her  real  mission,  i.  e., 
her  power  to  play  upon  man's  heart,  stimulate  his 
noblest  aspirations  and  thus  lead  him  to  the  heights 
of  spiritual  attainment  instead  of  into  mere  physical 
union  without  love,  she  will  continue  to  be  the  slave 
she  is  today  in  spite  of  any  political  or  social  liberties 
she  may  obtain. 

It  is  woman  who  must  lift  up  the  world's  ideas 
of  the  sex-force  from  the  mire  and  degradation  of 
man's  misconceptions  and  give  this  great  power  its 
proper  place  in  the  Temple  of  the  Living  God  (the 
body)  as  the  highest  expression  of  the  Divine  in 
man.  Just  as  it  was  woman  who  gave  to  man  the 
apple  of  discord,  so  must  woman  pluck  the  golden 
apples  that  grow  at  the  top  of  the  Tree  of  Life 
and  give  them  to  man  to  eat. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

PURIFICATION  VERSUS  DEIFICATION. 

"Hokhmah  Wisdom  is  the  Father,  and  Bina 
Understanding  is  the  Mother.  When  they  con- 
nect one  with  the  other,  they  bring  forth  and 
diffuse  and  emanate  Truth." — Zoahr,  III,  290. 

"And  the  woman  was  arrayed  in  purple  and 
scarlet  colour,  and  decked  with  gold  and  precious 
stones  and  pearls,  having  a  golden  cup  in  her 
hand  full  of  abominations  and  nlthiness  of  her 
fornication." — Revelation  XVII,  4. 

We  have  had  so  many  inquiries  from  earnest 
students  as  to  our  teachings  on  the  subject  of  sex, 
in  addition  to  those  given  in  former  lessons,1  and 
as  this  subject  has  been  the  stumbling  block  for 
mankind  since  its  fall  into  matter  (middle  of  the 
Third  Race),  and  as  once  more  a  cyclic  wave  of  the 
old  phallic  worship  is  sweeping  over  the  earth,  it 
seems  necessary  that  we  define  our  teachings  on 
this  subject  so  clearly  and  concisely  that  the  ear- 
nest seeker  after  truth  may  have  no  doubt  of  the 
Path  which  we  point  out.  Many  pupils  may  feel 
that  the  conditions  herein  outlined  are  exagger- 
ated, that  this  lesson  is  uncalled  for,  and  is  touch- 
ing a  subject  it  is  well  not  to  mention;  but  if  there 
are  any  such,  we  advise  them  to  lay  this  lesson  aside 
and  permit  us  to  be  the  judge  of  its  necessity  and 
of  the  great  cry  from  so  many  hearts  to  be  shown 
the  straight  and  narrow  way,  and  have  some  clear 
and  sound  understanding  of  this  subject. 

As  we  stated  in  the  previous  chapter,  the  fall  into 

1  Purity;  The  Symbol  of  the  Serpent;  Celibacy;  The  Meaning  of 
the  Cross. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  257 

generation  was  simply  an  opportunity  given  humanity 
to  meet  and  conquer  a  new  and  advanced  step ;  that  the 
temptation  by  the  serpent  recorded  in  Genesis  was 
the  great  test  for  which  the  whole  scheme  of  evo- 
lution on  this  planet  (the  middle  or  turning  point 
of  evolution),  and  the  planet  itself  was  created; 
that  only  when  man,  through  the  experience  reaped 
by  wading  through  the  lower  aspects  of  this  prob- 
lem, had  reached  a  conception  of  its  higher  possi- 
bilities, could  he  fulfill  the  prophecy  and  become 
as  the  gods.  Concerning  the  forbidden  fruit  the 
serpent  told  Eve  that  "In  the  day  ye  eat  thereof 
.  .  .  ye  shall  become  as  gods."  This  is  applied 
to  the  life-essence  or  the  ripened  fruit  of  the  tree. 
Adam  and  Eve  had  been  expressly  forbidden  to  eat 
of  the  tree  until  through  their  enlightened  and  puri- 
fied love  they  had  been  able  to  lift  up  the  serpent- 
force  and  eat  of  the  fruit  with  a  godlike  under- 
standing of  its  sacredness.  Their  disobedience  was 
that  they  plucked  and  ate  the  unripened  fruit  in 
ignorance  and  merely  for  the  gratification  of  their 
animal  appetites.  As  the  sex  question  is  the  one 
great  issue  of  the  whole  evolution  of  this  planet, 
he  who  is  misled  on  this  subject  takes  a  path  that 
can  lead  only  to  destruction.  Many  well-meaning 
teachers  as  they  gain  some  idea  of  the  sacredness 
and  purity  of  the  interchange  of  the  sex-forces  are 
easily  led  into  giving  the  subject  undue  promi- 
nence, into  tearing  down  the  veil  which  hangs  be- 
fore the  altar  of  all  sacred  mysteries,  thus  throwing 
themselves  open,  not  only  to  the  world's  ridicule 
and  censure,  but  also  to  the  inrush  of  the  hordes  of 
the  world's  accumulated  impure  thoughts  of  phallic 
worship.  This  is  inevitably  true  if  their  uncon- 
quered  secret  desires  tend  toward  any  form  of  self- 


258  The  Voice  of  Isis 

indulgence.  And  very  soon  we  find  them  permit- 
ting their  minds  to  temporize  with  the  world's 
standard  of  purity.  Then  departing  little  by  little 
from  the  sacred  instincts  of  purity  and  the  innate 
modesty  emplanted  in  each  heart  to  guide  it — un- 
less ruthlessly  torn  out,  smothered  or  argued  down 
by  the  high-sounding  sophistries  so  readily  fur- 
nished by  the  worshipers  at  the  shrine  of  sex- 
uality— they  at  length  advocate  either  secret  or  semi- 
public  orgies  under  the  guise  of  spiritual  ecstasy 
or  some  "advanced"  conception  of  the  sacredness 
of  sexual  intercourse.  Others  again  make  this  sub- 
ject a  cloak  under  which  they  can  revel  in  licentious 
thoughts  and  make  their  pretended  desire  an  excuse 
for  promiscuous  intercourse,  claiming  to  be  above 
the  Law,  yet  all  the  time  in  bondage  to  the  "old 
queen  of  the  world/'  the  most  tyrannous  and  ruth- 
less of  all  rulers. 

There  are  today  many,  many  entities  on  the 
astral-plane,  some  of  them  literally  masters  of  evil, 
and  others  well-meaning  but  misled  and  misleading 

-called  astral  "guides" — who,  taking  advantage  of 
this  misconception  of  the  symbol,  are  ready  to  give 
the  most  subtle  teachings  upon  this  subject  to 
those  who  are  awakening  to  the  allurements  of  the 
astral-plane  and  who  think  everything  that  comes 
from  that  plane  must  necessarily  be  Divine.  Hence, 
there  are  many  well-meaning  persons  who  are  to- 
day unthinkingly  taking  the  first  steps  on  the  down- 
ward path  by  letting  their  minds  dwell  continually 
upon  this  subject,  thus  being  drawn  into  vortices 
of  sex-thought  which  very  quickly  obsess  them  so 
that  they  can  think  and  talk  of  little  else.  They  are 
desirous  of  doing  right  but  disregard  the  voice  of 
Intuition  and  fail  to  use  common-sense  and  hence 


The  Voice  of  Isis  259 

are  misled  on  this  point.  There  is  nothing  that  so 
quickly  leads  to  obsession  as  the  constant  dwelling 
upon  the  thoughts  of  sex. 

This  whole  symbol  has  been  grossly  misunder- 
stood. The  serpent  was  Saturn  the  Initiator,  and  the 
day  spoken  of  in  which  the  Race  should  become  as  the 
gods  has  never  yet  dawned.  To  eat  of  the  Tree  of 
Life  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  degradation  of  the 
physical  creative  act.  The  promise  given  to  the  Third 
Race — symbolized  by  Adam  and  Eve — that  has  been 
and  still  is  being  fulfilled  was  "cursed  is  the  ground 
.  .  .  in  sorrow  shalt  thou  bring  forth."  This  was 
not  an  unjust  punishment,  for  they  were  not  left  in 
ignorance.  It  was  the  wilful  disobedience  of  the 
Third  Race  acting  in  spite  of  the  teachings  of  their  Di- 
vine Instructors — and  brought  to  its  greatest  degrada- 
tion during  the  Fourth  Race — which  fastened  the  curse 
upon  humanity.  From  the  beginning  of  recorded  his- 
tory, yea,  even  before  recorded  history,  man  has  floated 
on  a  sea  whose  motive-power  was  this  force,  and 
whose  tides  alternated  between  the  lowest  depth  of 
degradation  and  the  uplifting  and  deification  of  this 
function  under  various  forms  of  phallic  worship.  "It 
was  only  in  the  Fourth  Race  that  man,  who  had  lost 
all  right  to  be  considered  Divine,  resorted  to  body 
worship,  in  other  words,  Phallicism."  x 

Whenever  there  has  been  an  attempt  to  lift  this  sub- 
ject out  of  the  mire,  immediately  some  few  have  gone 
to  the  extreme  and  have  placed  it  upon  a  pinnacle  for 
worship.  This,  however,  is  even  more  disastrous  to 
humanity  than  its  degradation.  The  sex-force  is 
always  creative,  and,  when  degraded  and  perverted 
from  functioning  according  to  the  law  of  generation 
will  create  upon  the  astral-plane  monsters  which,  by 

1  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky,  Vol.  II,  p.  297. 


260  The  Voice  of  Isis 

their  precipitating  upon  man  sickness  and  disease — 
especially  disorders  of  the  mental  and  psychic  facul- 
ties— will  the  more  quickly  bring  about  his  bodily 
dissolution.  It's  deification  creates  a  tempter,  who, 
being  clothed  in  garments  of  self-righteousness  and 
absolute  contentment  with  his  own  state,  is  endowed 
with  an  immense  longevity  which  the  monster  does 
not  possess,  and  therefore  has  the  power  to  delude 
the  unwary  victim  with  plausible  sophistry. 

This  law  is  graphically  illustrated  in  Richard  Mans- 
field's version  of  the  drama  Peer  Gynt,  in  which  he 
meets  his  perverted  astral  creations  upon  the  moun- 
tain. These  entities  follow  him  and  call  him  father 
until  his  reason  totters.  All  such  creations  man  must 
face  and  redeem  either  in  this  or  some  future  incar- 
nation, for  like  Peer  Gynt  he  is  their  father.  Their 
mother  is  that  perverted  feminine  force  an  entitization 
of  which  is  so  graphically  described  by  Eliphas  Levi. 
"Knowest  thou  that  old  queen  of  the  world  who  is 
on  the  march  always  and  wearies  never?  Every  un- 
curbed passion,  every  selfish  pleasure,  every  licen- 
tious energy  of  humanity,  and  all  its  tyrannous  weak- 
ness, go  before  the  sordid  mistress  of  our  tearful  val- 
ley. .  .  .  That  queen  is  old  as  time,  but  her  skeleton 
is  concealed  in  the  wreckage  of  women's  beauty,  which 
she  abstracts  from  their  youth  and  their  love.  ... 
Her  livid  and  frozen  body  is  clothed  in  polluted  gar- 
ments and  tattered  winding  sheets.  .  .  .  When  she 
goes  by,  doors  open  of  themselves ;  she  passes  through 
walls;  she  penetrates  to  the  cabinets  of  kings;  she 
surprises  the  extortioners  of  the  poor  in  their  most 
secret  orgies;  she  sits  down  at  their  board,  pours 
out  their  wine,  grins  at  their  songs  with  her  gum- 
less  teeth,  takes  the  place  of  the  lecherous  courtesan 
hidden  behind  their  curtains.  She  delights  in  the 


The  Voice  of  Isis  261 

vicinity  of  sleeping  voluptuaries;  she  seeks  their  ca- 
resses as  if  she  hoped  to  grow  warm  in  their  embrace, 
but  she  freezes  all  those  whom  she  touches  and  her- 
self never  kindles."  This  seemingly  fanciful  picture 
refers  to  a  great  reality,  for  there  is  an  entitized 
thought-form,  born  of  man's  lustful  imaginings  and 
woman's  desires,  which  casts  a  glamour  of  youth 
and  loveliness  over  man  and  appears  in  his  dreams 
in  the  form  of  his  most  cherished  ideal  of  woman- 
hood to  tempt  him  and  draw  from  him  the  creative 
life-force  upon  which  she  lives.  She  appears  espe- 
cially to  test  those  who  are  striving  to  purify  their 
lives  and  conquer  sex  desire.  If  she  is  resisted  and 
foiled  in  her  purpose  the  glamour  disappears  and  she 
is  revealed  as  she  is,  the  Ancient  One,  the  Old  Hag. 
To  get  at  the  truth  underlying  this  question  we 
must  separate  the  Divine  Creative  Essence  entirely 
from  its  physical  vehicles  and  get  away  from  all  its 
lower  manifestations.  Up  to  the  middle  of  the  Third 
Race  humanity  was  androgynous,  but  soon  after  the 
separation  of  the  sexes  the  early  Atlanteans  made 
their  first  departure  from  right  living  by  worshiping 
form,  or  the  human  body  and  its  functions.  This 
period  is  alluded  to  in  the  Bible,2  where  it  says  that 
"The  Sons  of  God  saw  the  daughters  of  men  that 
they  were  fair ;  and  they  took  them  wives  of  all  which 
they  chose."  3  Those  called  "sons  of  God"  were  the 
descendants  of  the  first  great  spiritual  Teachers 
(Rishis),  while  "the  daughters  of  men"  were  what 
history  refers  to  as  the  pre-Adamite  races,  which  in 
the  Bible  were  embraced  under  the  symbol  of  Lillith. 
They  were  the  mindless  Races  or  the  Races  which  had 
not  yet  received  the  divine  spark  from  the  Mind- 

1  Transcendental  Magic.     Levi. 

2  Genesis  VI,   1-4. 

3  See  also  "The  Death  of  Lillis"  in  Thomas  Moore's  The  Loves  of  the 
Angels. 


262  The  Voice  of  Isis 

Born.  To  bring  the  spark  of  mind  to  the  mindless 
Races  by  taking  them  to  wife  was  the  duty  of  the 
"Sons  of  God."  The  sin  was  in  using  the  power  of 
mind  to  enhance  the  pleasures  of  mere  sex  con- 
tact. This  was  the  beginning  of  the  perversion  and 
worship  of  sex.  "The  Demon  of  Pride,  Lust,  Re- 
bellion and  Hatred,  had  no  being  before  the  appear- 
ance of  physical  conscious  man.  It  is  man  who  has 
begotten  and  nurtured  the  fiend,  and  allowed  it  to 
develop  in  his  heart;  it  is  he,  again,  who  has  con- 
taminated the  Indwelling  God  in  himself,  by  linking 
the  pure  Spirit  with  the  impure  Demon  of  Matter." 
Since  that  early  day,  with  every  attempt  to  reform 
the  thought  of  humanity  on  the  sex  question,  there 
comes  up  this  old  mistake  of  man's  deification  of 
matter  in  his  worship  of  the  mere  physical  expres- 
sion rather  than  the  Divine  Creative  Force.  But  such 
attempts  to  reform  are  necessary,  for  only  by  a  right 
understanding  of  this  vital  problem  can  man  attain  the 
ultimate  goal  of  his  evolution. 

Therefore  we  wish  to  make  it  very  clear  to  our  stu- 
dents that,  although  the  world  is  wrong  in  its  atti- 
tude of  looking  upon  this  whole  relationship  as  vile 
and  wicked,  and  while  we  most  ardently  desire  to 
purify  the  world's  polluted  stream  of  thought  on 
this  subject,  still  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  the 
world's  rules  of  conduct,  established  as  a  minimum 
after  ages  of  experience,  must  be  observed.  Under- 
neath every  law  of  morality  and  every  convention 
of  society  there  stands  a  Divine  Truth  from  which 
the  law  or  conventionality  has  grown.  Nothing  can 
endure  from  generation  to  generation  which  is  not 
rooted  in  Truth,  although  much  evil  may  be  grafted 
upon  this  root.  Although  from  time  to  time,  through 

*The  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky,  Vol.  II.,  p.  287. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  263 

the  rebellion  of  great  reformers  against  conventions 
and  man-made  laws,  humanity  has  advanced,  still  in 
every  such  instance  the  rebellion  was  not  so  much 
against  the  convention  or  law  itself  as  against  the 
abuses  and  evils  which  were  grafted  upon  it. 

All  that  pertains  to  the  sex  relations  belongs  to 
the  deep,  mysterious  workings  of  Divinity  and  is 
not  to  be  brought  publicly  before  the  world.  Hu- 
manity must  travel  the  path  of  generation,  until 
by  conquering — which  means  learning  all  its  lessons — 
it  finds  the  gate  of  regeneration.  Just  as  this  was 
symbolized  by  Noah's  ark,  into  which  the  animals 
went  two  by  two,  so  must  humanity  enter  the  Ark 
of  Safety — the  Temple  not  made  with  hands,  the 
ark  built  after  the  pattern  given  by  God,  the  only 
thing  that  can  ride  the  tempestuous  sea  of  humanity — 
two  by  two,  male  and  female.  Until  these  twain, 
whom  only  God  can  make  one  flesh  have  literally 
deified,  not  the  physical  organs  of  generation,  but 
the  Divine  Creative  Force  and  by  together  learning 
the  lessons  of  love  and  sacrifice,  have  discovered  that 
there  is  Something  apart,  above  and  beyond  mere 
physical  union  which  can  be  brought  forth  only  by 
the  twain,  and  that  this  Something  can  never  be 
brought  down  into  matter,  they  can  never  say  "It 
is  finished."  The  very  thought  of  opening  the  door 
of  the  sanctuary  where  this  holy  Something  shines 
above  the  tabernacle,  to  an  outsider  or  to  a  third 
party,  let  alone  the  gaze  of  the  multitude,  absolutely 
destroys  it;  for  this  Something  is  an  emanation  from 
the  Omnipotent  Creative  Force  of  Divinity  making 
the  twain  one  in  heaven  although  on  earth  they  still 
manifest  as  two.  It  is  this  Divine  Force  which  com- 
pletes the  Trinity;  for  that  which  completes  the 
Trinity  must  always  be  Divine,  never  human.  The 


264  The  Voice'  of  I  sis 

top  of  the  triangle  must  always  be  pointing  up  with 
the  flame  of  the  Divine  Creative  Force  rising  from 
its  apex.  To  debase  this  symbol  and  try  to  represent 
it  in  matter  by  three  human  personalities ;  to  permit 
any  but  the  twain  to  enter  the  ark,  is  to  point  the 
apex  of  the  triangle  toward  earth.  In  such  a  case 
the  Divine  Flame  or  the  Fire  of  the  Lord  at  once  be- 
comes the  burning,  consuming  fire  of  passion  which 
destroys  the  false  worshipers.  In  other  words,  if 
through  sexual  excesses  indulged  in  under  the  name 
of  worship  an  attempt  is  made  to  create  earthly  fires, 
i.  e.,  sex-passion,  upon  the  altar,  you  are  like  the 
priests  of  the  false  Baal — worshipers  of  perverted 
sex-force — unable  to  call  down  the  Fire  of  the  Lord 
to  consume  your  sacrifice;  but  if,  through  devotion, 
pure  love,  and  in  the  sanctity  of  absolute  privacy, 
two  Souls  reach  up  to  heaven  and  ask  the  divine  bless- 
ing upon  their  union  the  Fire  of  the  Lord  descends 
and  makes  their  sacrifice  complete. 

These  departures  from  Purity — which,  alas,  almost 
everyone  who  has  had  much  experience  among  so- 
called  occult  teachings  has  no  doubt  met  with  to  a 
greater  or  lesser  degree — do  not  take  place  all  at  once ; 
they  are  insidious.  The  evil  astral  entities  having 
once  gained  an  entrance  to  the  aura  of  the  pupils, 
usually  over  the  line  of  ambition,  vanity,  etc.,  at  first 
flatter  them  with  the  idea  that  they  are  chosen  to  be 
great  world-leaders  or  teachers,  then  their  animal 
nature  is  stirred  up  and  its  manifestations  disguised 
with  high-sounding  terms ;  or  perhaps  some  mys- 
terious relationship  is  hinted  at  to  make  the  first 
departure  from  Puritv  seem  natural  and  necessary, 
such  as  dual  personalities  requiring  more  than  one 
vehicle  to  express  the  same  Soul,  etc.  But  no  matter 
how  brought  about,  the  end  is  as  sure  as  it  is  pitiful, 


The  Voice  of  Isis  265 

pitiful  because  the  deluded  one  thinks  the  guidance  is 
Divine.  Such  entities,  animated  by  their  own  designs 
and  given  increased  power  by  the  perversion  of  the  vic- 
tims' sex-forces,  teach  them  that  there  is  some  special 
reason  why  they  are  exempt  from  laws  that  are  well 
enough  for  less  evolved  humanity;  that  true  "free- 
dom" includes  freedom  in  sex  relations,  even  that 
such  sexual  excesses  are  the  only  path  to  the  heights 
of  spiritual  attainment.  The  instant  such  a  departure 
from  the  one  Law  of  Purity  takes  place  the  Divine 
Triangle  is  pointed  downward ;  they  have  attempted 
to  confine  Spirit  in  matter,  and  like  a  consuming  fire 
it  will  spread  and  will  feed  upon,  first  their  higher 
ideals,  then  upon  all  their  principles  of  right  thought 
and  conduct,  until  all  that  was  beautiful  in  their  na- 
tures is  consumed,  leaving  only  their  gross  and 
material  nature  which,  no  matter  how  they  cloak  it 
with  the  garments  of  sanctity  and  hypocrisy,  the  world 
will  have  no  difficulty  in  recognizing.  If  the  physical 
body  of  such  a  victim  is  coarse  and  strong  its 
grossness  becomes  more  and  more  apparent,  but  if 
the  body  is  sensitive  and  finely  organized  such  prac- 
tices quickly  bring  about  various  nervous  and  mental 
affections,  especially  epilepsy,  and  in  some  cases 
insanity. 

This  brings  us  to  one  of  our  fundamental  teach- 
ings which  we  repeat  and  emphasize  here,  namely, 
no  matter  what  the  apparent  source  of  any  teaching 
and  no  matter  how  beautiful  the  language  used,  DO 

NOT  ACCEPT  IT  UNLESS  IT   MEETS  THE  TEST  OF  PURITY 

AND  COMMON-SENSE, — does  not  violate  the  moral  code 
and  is  confirmed  by  the  Intuition  of  your  own  Soul.  It 
is  only  common-sense  to  demand  that  teachings  which 
professes  a  higher  standard  of  purity  than  that  of  the 


266  The  Voice  of  Isis 

world  must  at  least  include  what  the  experience  of 
the  world  holds  as  essential. 

The  woman  referred  to  in  our  opening  text  sym- 
bolizes the  mother-force  or  sex-force  degraded.  The 
cup  of  pure  gold  which  she  holds  symbolizes  some- 
thing sacred  which  through  her  impurity  is  defiled 
and  filled  with  abominations.  In  this  case  the  cup 
symbolizes  the  place  of  generation  through  which  the 
Divine  Creative  Force  should  manifest  as  regenera- 
tion, but  which  instead  is  filled  with  the  abominations 
of  man's  own  imaginings.  She  was  ultimately  con- 
sumed by  the  karmic  fires  spoken  of  above.1 

As  to  our  definite  teachings  on  this  subject  we 
would  say  to  our  pupils  USE  COMMON-SENSE.  Avoid 
both  the  Scylla  of  degradation  and  the  Charybdis  of 
undue  exaltation  of  this  force.  Obey  what  the  world 
calls  the  moral  code,  but  infuse  into  the  dead-letter 
of  that  code  the  Spirit  of  Divine  Love.  Realize  that 
physical  marriage  is  but  the  gross  and  earthly  coun- 
terpart of  the  Divine  Marriage  of  the  Soul  and  that 
mistaken  marriages  which  are  not  marriages  of  the 
Soul  can  be  avoided  if  you  will  prayerfully  listen  to 
the  Voice  of  Intuition  and  are  not  carried  away  by 
emotion,  passion  or  desire  for  worldly  gain.  Above 
all  examine  your  own  heart  and  drive  out  all  lustful 
desires  and  imaginings,  for  only  the  pure  in  heart 
shall  see  God.  Purity  of  heart  and  mind  will  be  a 
shield  and  buckler  to  protect  you  in  the  hour  of 
temptation  and  guide  your  feet  in  safety  over  the 
narrow  bridge  which  separates  animal  desire  from 
spiritual  ecstasy. 

Sexual  union  is  but  the  physical  expression  of  man's 
ability  to  reach  up  to  Divinity.  For  in  the  union  of 
perfectly  affinitized  Souls  there  is  a  force  brought  into 

^Revelation  XVII,   16. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  267 

action  which  is  greater  than  the  physical  senses  can 
express,  the  senses  are  transcended  and  the  Souls  are 
lifted  from  human  into  Divine  Love.  This  is  the  point 
where  Divine  Love  touches  and  overlaps  human  love, 
but  only  when  human  love  has  grown  so  pure  and 
sacred  and  holy  that  nothing  human  can  express  it, 
because  it  transcends  the  powers  of  the  human  mind' 
to  grasp.  Only  then  is  a  new  force  brought  into 
manifestation,  a  force  which  is  the  vehicle  for  a  direct 
manifestation  of  the  Divine.  This  force  at  one  end 
unites  into  one  flesh  the  twain,  and  at  the  other  end 
unites  them  to  the  Godhead,  or  their  mutual  Father- 
in-heaven,  thus  making  the  perfect  triangle.  In  such 
a  union  God  is  manifested  through  perfected  and 
purified  human  love. 

Let  no  one,  however,  be  discouraged  or  think  the 
day  of  attainment  so  far  distant  that  there  is  no  use 
trying,  for  the  first  step  is  right  thinking  on  this  sub- 
ject; and  the  next  is  so  to  live  as  to  be  ready  and 
worthy,  for  literally  ye  know  neither  the  day  nor 
the  hour  when  the  Son  of  Man  cometh  in  His 
glory.  The  glory  is  the  illumination  which  comes  to 
every  Soul  who  reaches  this  ideal  conception  of  love, 
where  the  Divine  overlaps  and  perfects  the  human. 
Some,  having  taken  steps  on  this  Path  in  past  incar- 
nations, have  now  to  learn  certain  minor  parts  of 
the  Law.  They  may  find  themselves  compelled  to 
learn  these  lessons  alone,  without  an  earthly  com- 
panion to  help  them,  but  this  does  not  prevent  them 
from  learning  the  lessons.  If  karmic  Law  has 
brought  some  close  to  the  borderland  between  the 
human  and  the  Divine  through  suffering,  disappoint- 
ment or  ideal  love  trampled  in  the  mire,  nevertheless 
they  can  learn  their  lessons  and  often  learn  them 
more  thoroughly  than  those  more  blessed,  although 


268  The  Voice  of  Isis 

forced  to  seek  love  only  in  the  Divine  because  the 
human  has  failed  them.  There  will  come  an  incar- 
nation when  each  Soul  must  step  over  the  threshold 
between  ideal  mortal  love  and  Divine  Love  hand  in 
hand  with  the  companion  best  fitted  to  make  that 
correlation  perfect.  Nothing  can  be  gained,  however, 
by  fretting  or  chafing  at  the  Law,  for  what  is  really 
yours  can  only  come  to  you  when  both  are  ready  to 
receive. 

Each  can  help  himself  best  by  helping  all  human- 
ity; for  as  Nature  abhors  a  vacuum,  the  more 
love  and  purity  you  pour  out  for  humanity  the  more 
rushes  in  to  take  its  place.  Help  by  spreading  the 
thought  of  Purity  regarding  this  subject;  by  giving 
this  subject  its  proper  place,  for  it  was  never  intended 
to  be  considered  publicly  or  mentioned  lightly.  True 
love  must  be  nurtured  in  modesty  and  privacy,  fed 
on  the  unseen  forces  from  Divinity  and  grow  natur- 
ally. It  must  be  the  culmination  of  natural  develop- 
ment rather  than  the  point  from  which  development 
starts. 

It  is  not  possible  in  this  age  for  all  to  reach  this 
point  of  spiritual  as  well  as  physical  union,  for,  alas, 
too  rriany  have  walked  in  the  world's  by-paths  until 
their  garments  (bodies  and  minds)  are  polluted  with 
the  vileness  which  man  has  created  around  this  holy 
function.  Therefore  such  must  willingly  stand  still 
in  the  burnings  of  karmic  Law  until  all  that  is  impure 
is  consumed,  and  until  their  own  true  companion,  who 
is  also  being  purified,  is  brought  to  them  in  fulfill- 
ment of  the  law  of  exact  Justice,  that  they  two,  hand 
in  hand,  having  faced  and  successfully  passed  the 
Angel  of  the  Flaming  Sword,  may  enter  into  the 
Garden  and  there  meet  the  Lord  face  to  face. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE    MEMORY   OF    PAST    LIVES. 

"Both  thou  and  I  have  passed  through  many 
births.  .  .  .  Mine  are  known  unto  me,  but 
thou  knowest  not  of  thine."  The  Bhagavad-Gita, 
Chapter  iv. 

"Tell  him,  O  Aspirant,  that  true  devotion  may 
bring  him  back  the  knowledge,  that  knowledge 
which  was  his  in  former  births."  The  Voice  of 
the  Silence,  Blavatsky,  Fragment  II. 

The  memory  of  past  lives  is  given  not  for  amuse- 
ment, nor  to  satisfy  vain  curiosity,  but  to  inculcate 
a  needed  lesson.  As  we  stated  in  the  chapter  on 
Karma,  the  destiny  of  each  Soul  is  ultimately  to 
take  its  proper  place  in  the  Divine  Plan.  While 
the  Soul  may  spend  many  lives  in  perfecting  its 
powers  and  working  out  minor  Karma,  still  at  cer- 
tain cycles — usually  every  seventh  life — the  destiny 
of  the  Soul  will  be  its  main  task,  retarded  or  accel- 
erated according  to  the  Karma  to  be  worked  out, 
just  as  the  seventh  wave  of  the  sea  rises  higher  on 
the  shore  than  the  other  six.  When  a  person  is 
ready  to  take  a  decided  step  in  his  work  of  destiny 
he  must  see  what  he  has  accomplished  toward  it  in 
the  past,  and  how  to  avoid  the  mistakes  and  side 
issues  that  led  him  astray  in  former  lives.  He  may 
not  remem'ber  all  the  details,  but,  step  by  step  as 
he  needs  them,  the  main  lessons  will  be  revealed  to 
him.  If  he  is  about  to  repeat  a  previous  blunder, 
the  memory  of  it  will  be  given  him,  often  in  a  dream 
or  vision.  And  if  he  is  not  carried  away  by  the 
mere  remembering,  or  does  not  push  it  aside  as  a 
fantasy  or  delusion,  and  if  he  sincerely  desires  light 


270  The  Voice  of  Isis 

and  help,  and  is  striving  to  follow  his  intuitions,  he 
will  see  the  lesson  and  understand  its  application  to 
his  present  condition.  There  is  no  chance  remem- 
bering. All  follows  an  exact  law.  It  comes  when 
the  Higher  Self  sees  that  the  personality  is  ready- 
when  the  physical  brain  has  been  trained  to  vibrate  to 
some  extent  in  response  to  the  will  of  the  Higher 
Self. 

Many  ask,  "Why  is  not  the  memory  of  past  lives 
more  common?"  There  is  a  deep  reason  for  this. 
In  our  evolution  we  have  passed  through  many  sad 
and  embittering  experiences  which,  if  remembered, 
would  so  depress  our  spirits,  so  discourage  and 
hamper  us  that  we  would  make  little  progress.  Also, 
did  we  remember  who  we  were  and  who  our  present 
companions  were,  in  many  cases  we  would  find  it 
so  hard  to  forgive  the  injuries,  so  hard  to  forget  the 
troubles  we  had  passed  through  in  connection  with 
them  that  our  spiritual  growth  would  be  retarded. 
Since  the  Law,  acting  as  Karma,  demands  perfect 
compensation  or  adjustment,  one  great  object  in 
each  new  life  is  to  readjust  the  mistakes  of  the  past. 
When  an  opportunity  to  do  so  comes  to  us  in  this 
life,  if  we  could  remember  all  that  had  passed  it 
would  be  far  harder  to  "Love  your  enemies,  do  good 
to  them  which  hate  you,  bless  them  that  curse  you, 
and  pray  for  them  which  despitefully  use  you." 
Hence  it  is  in  love  and  wisdom  that  the  knowledge 
of  past  lives  is  withheld. 

Many  think  that  could  they  remember  who  they 
were  in  the  past  it  would  be  all  joy  and  wonder, 
but  in  the  majority  of  cases  it  would  be  a  bitter  dis- 
appointment and  a  sad  and  depressing  remember- 
ing. Therefore  we  will  never  be  permitted  to  re- 
member our  past  lives  until  we  have  advanced 


The  Voice  of  Isis  271 

beyond  the  point  where  the  griefs,  the  ills  and  the 
unkindnesses  done  us  can  affect  us,  make  us  worry 
or  become  discouraged  and  thus  retard  our  prog- 
ress. We  will  not  remember  until  we  have  gained 
that  poise  which  nothing  can  disturb ;  until  we 
have  become  centered  in  the  thought  that  to  manifest 
Divine  Love  is  all  there  is  worth  striving  for. 

Most  Souls  find  the  memory  of  the  trials  and  sor- 
rows of  one  life  as  much  as  the  personality  can 
bear,  therefore  the  complete  remembrance  of  all  it 
had  endured  in  its  many  lives  would  tend  to  crush 
it.  It  is  memory  that  haunts ;  that  drives  to  insan- 
ity, No  one  day  can  hold  enough  sorrow  to  dis- 
hearten utterly  the  personality;  it  is  the  accumu- 
lated burden  that  overwhelms.  A  most  important 
lesson  to  learn  is  to  put  from  you  all  that  is  past. 
Live  in  the  present.  "Let  the  dead  past  bury  its 
dead."  Until  the  Soul  has  learned  that  what  is 
passed  is  registered  within  the  Real  Self  as  a  lesson 
learned — a  needed  experience  gained — and  can  let 
it  go  and  not  be  crushed  by  its  memory;  until  the 
personality  shows  its  strength  of  character  by  not 
brooding  over  mistakes ;  until  it  has  exemplified 
this  stability  in  its  present  life,  its  Heavenly 
Father,  in  loving  mercy,  draws  a  veil  over  the 
memory  of  previous  incarnations.  When  it  can 
bear  without  flinching  or  shrinking,  the  memory 
of  the  sorrows  of  one  life  it  will  be  ready  to  bear 
a  more  extended  memory. 

Another  reason  why  we  do  not  remember  is 
that  at  each  incarnation  the  Soul  clothes  itself  in  a 
new  body,  the  brain  cells  of  which  have  never 
responded  to  the  past  conditions,  and  only  when 
the  brain  is  capable  of  responding  to  the  memory 
stored  up  in  the  Higher  Self,  can  that  memory  be 


272  The  Voice  of  Isis 

impressed  upon  the  waking  consciousness.  In 
other  words,  the  personality,  per  se,  cannot  remem- 
ber the  past  because  it  has  experienced  but  the 
present  life.  Another  reason  is  that  many,  many 
of  our  lives  have  been  so  common-place  or  triv- 
ial that  they  have  registered  little  of  value  in  the 
Real  Self,  hence  have  little  of  importance  to  re- 
member. For  out  of  each  life  it  is  only  those  expe- 
riences and  those  lessons  which  have  made  for  Soul- 
growth  that  are  immortalized  by  being  registered 
in  the  Real  Self.  Only  good  is  immortal ;  evil  is 
but  transitory. 

The  memory  of  a  past  life  is  often  awakened  by 
reading  about  or  seeing  the  picture  of  some  histor- 
ical character.  This  arouses  a  consciousness  of 
having  lived  at  that  time  or  in  that  place,  or  per- 
haps, that  the  reader  was  himself  the  character 
mentioned.  This  is  apt  to  give  rise  to  ridicule,  for 
many  upon  whom  the  memory  of  past  lives  is 
dawning  seem  never  to  have  been  anything  but 
kings  and  queens,  or  notable  characters  in  history. 
There  is  a  reason  for  this,  for,  like  most  mistakes, 
it  is  rather  a  misunderstanding  or  misapplication  of 
the  remembrance  than  a  deliberate  attempt  to  de- 
ceive. It  is  a  result  of  ignorance  of  the  Law.  In 
such  a  case  the  probability  is  that  the  person  did 
live  at  the  period  remembered,  and  perhaps  took 
a  prominent  part  in  the  events  enacted,  but  he  was 
not  necessarily  the  principal  character.  The  feel- 
ing of  peculiar  sympathy  or  aversion  that  one  feels 
in  such  a  case  is  precisely  what  he  felt  at  the  time 
of  the  event.  In  the  past  he  may  have  been  deeply 
interested  in  the  characters  under  consideration, 
and  fond  of  imagining  himself  in  their  place.  Thus, 
when  the  attention  is  turned  to  those  old  times  it 


The  Voice  of  Isis  273 

awakens  the  old  currents  of  feeling,  and  he  thinks 
he  actually  was  what  in  the  past  he  had  wished  to 
be.  Often  there  is  another  explanation.  The  noted 
personage  may  have  stood  out  as  the  key-note  of 
his  time,  and  the  circumstances  that  produced  his 
eminence  were  lessons  that  many  other  Souls 
learned.  In  fact,  the  leading  character  enacted  the 
drama  for  all  the  lesser  personalities  belonging  to 
the  same  group,  and  all  learned  the  lesson  through 
the  one. 

The  great  body  of  humanity  is  like  the  physical 
body,  composed  of  cells  and  organs,  each  with  its 
center  of  force  (nucleus)  which  takes  up  impres- 
sions and  transmits  them  to  all  the  atoms  compos- 
ing that  center  or  organ.  The  hand  learns  to  exe- 
cute a  certain  movement  and  every  cell  of  each 
ringer  retains  the  impress  or  latent  memory  of  its 
share  in  that  movement.  So  the  cells  of  every 
organ  learn  their  lessons  not  so  much  as  separate 
cells,  but  all  together  as  an  organ,  viz.,  a  hand,  a 
foot,  a  head,  a  heart,  et  cetera.  For  example, 
through  the  action  of  Abraham  Lincoln  the  whole 
nation  learned  that  slavery  should  be  and  could  be 
abolished,  and  the  lesson  was  impressed  more  or 
less  deeply  on  each  Soul  according  to  its  sympa- 
thy or  activity  in  the  matter;  but  only  Abraham 
Lincoln  actually  freed  the  slaves.  He  could  not 
have  done  this,  however,  without  the  aid  of  the 
thought-force  of  the  nation.  He  was  the  executor  of 
the  will  of  those  who  thought  freedom. 

Every  character  in  history  had  many  persons 
who  belonged  to  the  same  group — to  the  same  na- 
tion— who  were  carried  along  in  evolution  by  the 
same  current;  who  learned  by  the  failure  or  prof- 
ited by  the  success  of  that  character.  As  the  Soul 


274  The  Voice  of  Isis 

at  first  remembers  only  the  most  important  events, 
personages  and  lessons  impressed  upon  its  con- 
sciousness, when  that  memory  begins  to  be  awak- 
ened it  is  natural  for  it  to  think  it  was  the  central 
figure. 

"  Many  psychics  receive  messages  which  they  inter- 
pret to  mean  that  they  were  the  Virgin  Mother,  St. 
John,  John  the  Baptist,  Elijah,  Moses,  or  some 
other  noted  Bible  character,  and  find  to  their  dis- 
may that  many  others  have  been  told  the  same. 
Since  they  are  unable  to  conceive  how  all  could 
have  been  the  one  character,  much  confusion  and 
loss  of  faith  in  their  guidance  results.  The  true  ex- 
planation is  that  all  such  personages  were  types,  or 
expressions,  of  some  of  the  cosmic  Rays — differ- 
ing phases  of  experience  through  which  their 
Father  had  passed  in  His  evolution.  When  a  dis- 
ciple is  told,  for  instance,  that  she  was  the  Virgin 
Mary,  it  means  that  she  belongs  to  that  expression 
of  the  Father  Ray,  i.  e.}  was  emanated  and  started 
on  her  earthly  evolution  during  the  period  when 
the  Father  was  correlating  with  the  Virgin  Moth- 
er-principle, when  He  was  experiencing  the  lessons 
of  the  Great  Mother,  Isis.  And  so  on  through  the 
whole  list  of  characters. 

There  are  hundreds  who  are  sure  they  were 
Mary,  Queen  of  Scots;  hundreds  who  were  Mar- 
tin Luther,  Julius  Caesar,  Cleopatra,  Helen  of 
Troy,  et  cetera.  If  they  understood  the  Law,  how- 
ever, it  would  be  quite  easy  to  determine 
whether  or  not  they  were  great  personages  whose 
names  are  given.  A  careful  study  of  the  character, 
giving  due  consideration  to  the  three  streams  of 
evolution,1  (physical,  mental  and  spiritual)  will 
readily  determine  this.  Study  their  mistakes  and 

HSee   Chapter   XIII. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  275 

successes  and  try  to  calculate  what  would  be 
needed,  according  to  the  Law  of  Compensation 
(Karma),  to  overcome  the  mistakes  or  reap  the  re- 
wards. Study  their  mentality  and  your  own,  and 
know  well  there  is  no  retrogression.  There  are  ups 
and  downs  that  may  seem  like  retrogression  but 
they  are  like  the  ups  and  downs  of  a  gravity  rail- 
way; the  downs  are  always  above  the  level  of  the 
starting  point.  A  personage  of  historical  promi- 
nence may  at  this  time  be  incarnated  in  a  very 
lowly  station,  but  he  will  still  have  the  same  char- 
acteristics that  made  him  great.  He  may  be  placed 
in  a  lowly  station  to  learn  lessons  of  patience  and 
humility,  but  his  character  will  still  be  great,  and 
the  important  lesson  learned  in  the  prominent  life 
will  be  indelibly  impressed  upon  his  present  per- 
sonality. If  he  were  the  central  figure  of  the 
group,  either  for  good  or  evil,  he  will  always  be  a 
central  figure,  no  matter  in  what  walk  of  life  he 
may  incarnate.  An  Abraham  Lincoln  might  incar- 
nate as  a  plough-boy  where  conditions  made  edu- 
cation and  culture  almost  impossible,  but  he  would 
always  have  the  ability  of  a  Lincoln  to  master  con- 
ditions. 

Many  declare  they  find  it  impossible  to  live  out 
their  true  selves;  but  the  inner  development  will 
always  manifest,  no  matter  what  the  environment. 
If  a  Soul  fails  to  demonstrate  that  it  is  spiritually 
advanced  it  simply  means  that  it  has  not  attained 
to  or  created  the  state  it  desires  to  manifest.  The 
pilgrimage  of  the  Soul  is  like  an  earthly  journey. 
We  may  see  the  distant  goal  yet  may  have  many 
sad  experiences  and  much  weary  travel  ere  we 
reach  it.  If  one  is  absorbed  in  petty  cares,  to  the 
exclusion  of  higher  aims,  it  means  that  he  has  not 


276  The  Voice  of  Isis 

outgrown  petty  conditions ;  for  if  he  had  he  would 
find  time  to  follow  the  higher  leadings  and  mani- 
fest them  in  his  life.  Abraham  Lincoln  found  time 
to  study  law  while  splitting  rails ;  Isaac  Watt  dis- 
covered the  force  of  steam  while  apparently  ab- 
sorbed in  the  petty  care  of  minding  the  baby.  Al- 
though environment  does  modify  the  expression,  still 
the  real  inner  development  will  always  manifest,  no 
matter  what  the  environment.  Accomplishment  in 
spite  of  difficulties  is  the  best  proof  of  inner  devel- 
opment and  strength ;  for  difficulties  oifly  spur  us 
on  to  express  the  powers  we  have  won. 

The  general  rule  is  that,  after  one  has  cultivated  his 
mental  faculties  and  developed  his  brain  to  a  high 
degree,  he  passes  through  an  incarnation  devoid  of  all 
chance  for  education.  This  is,  firstly,  to  give  him 
an  opportunity  to  develop  his  heart  qualities ;  and, 
secondly,  to  prove  how  much  of  the  former  culture 
he  has  really  assimilated.  No  one  can  prove  his 
character  unless  he  is  forced  to  depend  on  his  real 
inner  powers.  Hence,  no  matter  what  the  gain  has 
been  in  the  past,  whether  toward  physical,  intel- 
lectual or  spiritual  perfection,  he  must,  of  neces- 
sity, pass  an  incarnation  where  all  outward  helps 
toward  the  things  attained  are  lacking,  that  he  may 
prove  himself. 

When  one  is  told  that  in  the  past  he  was  some 
great  personage,  it  is  wise  to  look  up  the  history 
and  customs  of  the  time  indicated,  and  search  for 
any  glaring  discrepancies  between  his  own  char- 
acter and  the  character  of  the  person  under  con- 
sideration. If  discrepancies  are  found  they  indi- 
cate error  somewhere.  For  example,  if  a  woman  is 
told  that  she  was  an  Egyptian  Priestess,  or  if  a  man 
is  told  that  he  was  beheaded  while  King  of  Egypt, 


The  Voice  of  Isis  277 

a  glance  at  history  will  show  that  the  Egyptians 
carefully  excluded  women  from  participating  in  the 
Mysteries,  hence  there  were  no  Egyptian  Priest- 
esses. History  will  also  show  that  the  Egyptians 
had  a  superstitious  horror  of  any  sort  of  mutila- 
tion of  the  body;  this  was  inculcated  by  the  funda- 
mental tenets  of  their  religion.  Under  no  circum- 
stances was  a  king  or  even  a  person  of  common 
social  rank  mutilated  either  before  or  after  death. 
The  worst  possible  punishment  for  the  lowest 
criminal  was  the  cutting  off  of  his  ears.  Therefore 
this  would  most  convincingly  point  to  an  error  in 
such  a  message.  In  this  instance  we  find  that 
Egypt  was  once  overrun  with  foreigners,  much  as 
it  is  at  the  present  time.  Some  of  them  were  kings 
and  queens  who  followed  the  customs  and  relig- 
ions of  their  own  country.  There  were  also. num- 
erous cities  whose  names  have  long  been  lost  to 
history  which  while  paying  tribute  to  Egypt  and 
inhabited  largely  by  Egyptians,  nevertheless  fol- 
lowed their  own  customs.  Thus  a  woman  might 
have  been  a  Priestess  or  a  king  might  have  been 
beheaded  while  in  Egypt  and  yet  not  be  Egyp- 
tians. This  will  show  how  easily  psychic  messages 
can  be  confused  and  how  absurd  it  makes  one  to 
repeat  them  without  verifying  them.  While  such 
discrepancies  do  not  always  mean  that  the  one  giv- 
ing the  information  has  misled  him,  yet,  under  such 
circumstances,  a  careful  investigation  of  the  mes- 
sage, and  a  consideration  of  its  source,  is  advisable. 
It  may  be,  however,  that  he  has  misinterpreted  the 
message ;  his  brain  may  have  given  it  a  twist  in 
accord  with  his  personal  bias.  A  careful  study  of 
history,  together  with  a  sincere  prayer  for  light 
and  help,  will  generally  straighten  the  matter  out. 


278  The  Voice  of  Isis 

It  has  become  the  custom  for  untrained  or  pseudo 
psychics  to  flatter  their  friends  or  sitters  by  telling 
them  they  were  great  personages  in  the  past.  In 
this  connection  it  is  a  good  plan  never  to  believe 
such  tales  unless  confirmed  by  your  own  Soul  or  by 
history.  For  all  must  come  under  the  law  of  prob- 
ability and  common-sense. 

The  whole  object  of  rebirth  is  for  each  Soul  to 
attain  all-around  Soul-perfection,  learn  all  the  les- 
sons life  can  teach,  and  thus  be  prepared  to  do  its 
work  in  the  Grand  Plan.  Even  if  it  were  possible 
for  a  man  to  gain  all  knowledge  and  have  all  ex- 
perience in  one  life,  nevertheless  the  stupendous 
task  of  evolution,  from  an  atom  to  a  God,  would 
require  incalculable  aeons.  Comparing  our  life 
period  to  a  day,  as  well  might  we  expect  a  child  to 
acquire  the  experience  and  wisdom  of  a  life-time 
between  sunrise  and  sunset.  If  such  a  prodigy 
were  possible,  evolution  would  still  be  unsatisfied, 
for  the  child  would  have  neither  the  ability  nor  the 
organism  whereby  to  utilize  the  knowledge  and  do 
the  work  of  a  man ;  for  it  would  not  have  reached 
man's  estate.  Perfection  could  not  be  attained  in 
one  life. 

When  a  student  is  earnestly  and  sincerely  seeking 
for  light,  and  is  striving  toward  self-mastery,  he  fre- 
quently gets  a  strong  impression  that  he  has  a  special 
work  to  do.  This  is  generally  the  first  glimmerings 
of  a  bona  fide  memory  of  the  past  and  of  his  Soul- 
destiny.  It  is  frequently  given  in  dreams,  and  perhaps 
is  remembered  in  the  waking  consciousness  only  as 
an  intangible  impression.  Many  wonder  why  they 
must  grope  so  long  in  the  dark.  But  here  again  there 
is  a  reason.  The  Soul  must  struggle  toward  the  light 
alone,  just  as  a  plant  by  its  struggles  gains  the 


The  Voice  of  Isis  279 

strength  to  push  up  through  the  earth  to  the  sunlight. 

One  may  be  given  the  outline  of  the  work  which 
he,  both  karmicly  and  constitutionally,  is  destined 
to  accomplish,  but  the  exact  manner  of  its  ful- 
fillment is  always  left  to  his  own  judgment.  He  is 
helped  to  think  and  use  his  own  powers  of  judgment 
to  decide  wisely.  He  is  shown  the  Goal  and  the  Path, 
then  is  left  to  his  own  devices  as  to  the  best  manner 
of  following  it.  His  judgment  may  be  at  fault,  and 
he  may  make  mistakes,  but  if  he  is  working  in  sin- 
cerity and  love  for  his  fellow  men,  the  One  guiding 
him  must  let  him  experiment.  The  Masters  dare 
not  interfere,  for  They  know  that  strength  and  wis- 
dom come  from  learning  lessons,  and  if  the  pupil  is 
doing  the  best  he  can  it  will  be  but  a  matter  of  time 
ere  he  will  reach  the  end  of  his  mistaken  line  of  ac- 
tivity. 

If  a  memory  of  a  past  mistake  is  necessary  it 
will  be  given  him,  but  if  the  exact  step  in  his 
future  work  were  mapped  out  for  him  he  would 
become  a  mere  puppet — the  executor  of  another's 
will — and  not  a  free  agent.  Perhaps  when  the  out- 
line of  this  work  is  given  him,  the  pupil  makes  the 
mistake  of  thinking  that  he  is  ready  to  begin  at  once. 
In  reality  the  command  is  to  begin  the  work  of  prep- 
aration. Such  a  disciple  is  in  the  position  of  a  child 
who  heedlessly  rushes  off  before  he  has  heard  what 
his  father  really  desires,  or  how  he  must  prepare  him- 
self for  the  task;  he  hears  the  command  "work"  but 
does  not  wait  for  the  end  of  the  sentence.  No  one 
is  ever  required  to  do  work  for  which  he  is  not 
prepared.  A  teacher  would  not  teach  advanced  sub- 
jects without  special  training;  a  physician  would  not 
prescribe  without  years  of  technical  study;  a  man 
would  not  be  placed  in  charge  of  a  bank  or  business 


280  The  Voice  of  Isis 

concern  without  long  years  of  special  training  for 
such  work;  and  yet  many  a  psychic  who  hears  the 
cry:  "Son,  go  work  today  in  my  vineyard,"  never 
stops  to  hear  more,  nor  dreams  that  any  preparation 
is  necessary.  In  fact,  such  usually  take  great  pride 
in  their  attitude  of  trust,  that  they  have  no  need  of 
preparation  or  special  knowledge;  that  their  Heavenly 
Father  will  guide  and  teach  them  in  all  things. 
While  it  is  true  that  they  will  be  guided  and  helped, 
yet  there  is  an  old  axiom  which  says:  "God  helps 
him  who  helps  himself,"  which,  being  interpreted, 
means  that  he  who  uses  common-sense,  and  places 
himself  in  the  current,  or  trains  his  brain  mind  so  it 
can  receive  and  comprehend  the  higher  truths,  makes 
intelligent  help  a  possibility,  while  he  who  depends 
entirely  upon  astral  communications  must  make  him- 
self so  negative  that  his  mind  is  a  fertile  field  for 
the  sowing  of  tares  by  the  enemy  who  is  always  wait- 
ing to  sow  them  among  the  wheat  while  the  husband- 
men sleep. 

There  is  no  royal  road  to  Divine  Wisdom.  There 
is,  however,  a  straight  and  narrow  Path  to  spiritual 
unfoldment.  It  is  found  only  by  wedding  Knowledge 
to  Understanding  and  Love  to  Wisdom.  It  must  be 
trodden  step  by  step,  often  in  weariness  and  with 
bleeding  feet.  Even  Jesus,  although  His  mission  was 
announced  both  at  his  birth  and  at  His  baptism,  spent 
over  thirty  years  studying  with  the  teachers,  adepts 
and  Masters,  before  His  brain  mind  was  capable  of 
correlating  with  the  Divine  Wisdom  of  which  His 
Soul  was  fully  cognizant.  While  book-learning  is 
in  no  way  necessary  for  spiritual  development,  yet 
it  is  necessary  if  one  is  to  be  a  teacher  of  the  higher 
laws  and  the  higher  philosophy,  or  is  to  be  a  leader 
in  spiritual  thought,  to  perfect  the  instrument  (brain) 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  281 

through  which  the  Divine  inspiration  is  seeking  ex- 
pression. 

The  astral  world  is  full  of  false  teachers  who 
promise  many  wonderful  things  and  seek  to  gain 
your  attention  by  telling  you  how  great  or  how 
good  you  are ;  hence  discrimination  is  the  first  faculty 
that  must  be  perfected.  It  can  only  be  gained  by 
careful  training  and  a  thorough  understanding  of  the 
Law.  The  astral-plane  is  called  the  "Hall  of  Learn- 
ing," but  the  pupil  is  warned  that  "In  it  thy  soul  will 
find  the  blossoms  of  life,  but  under  every  flower  a 
serpent  coiled."  1  No  purity  of  heart  or  desire  for 
truth  can  protect  from  this  serpent's  sting  those  who 
wilfully  neglect  to  cultivate  their  minds  and  familiar- 
ize themselves  with  the  laws  of  that  plane. 

If  a  person  has  not  the  opportunity  to  carry  on  a 
study  of  the  laws  and  philosophy  of  the  Higher  Life 
this  is  proof  positive  that  such  an  one  is  not  yet  ready 
to  teach.  He  may  be  selected  as  a  teacher,  but  for 
the  time  he  is  being  prepared  along  a  particular  line. 
For  the  training  of  the  heart,  or  the  love-nature  for 
obedience  and  for  ardor  and  for  love  for  humanity, 
and  the  perfecting  of  patience  by  the  cheerful  per- 
formance of  daily  tasks,  has  first  to  be  developed  in 
the  character.  When  the  pupil  is  considered  by  the 
Master  to  be  a  fit  instrument  in  these  respects  (obedi- 
ence, love,  sympathy,  patience,  etc.)  then  will  he  be 
brought  into  an  environment  which  will  give  him  the 
opportunity  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  spiritual 
laws  and  the  philosophy.  The  pupil  is  never  asked 
to  leave  a  plain  duty  undone  to  take  up  the  work  of 
teacher;  for  just  so  long  as  a  duty  confronts  him 
which  would  prevent  him  from  beginning  the  work, 
he  should  know  that  his  preparation  is  not  complete. 

1  The   Voice  of  Silence,   Blavatsky,   Fragment  I. 


282  The  Voice  of  Isis 

Instead  of  chafing  at  the  confining  bonds  he  should 
cheerfully  go  ahead  preparing  himself  in  body,  mind 
and  Soul,  remembering  that  he  has  all  eternity  before 
him,  and  that  it  is  much  easier  to  make  up  for  delay 
than  to  rectify  a  vital  mistake  made  through  precipi- 
tation. When  he  perceives  the  outline  of  a  work  to 
be  done,  let  him  prepare  himself  to  do  it  to  the  best 
of  his  ability.  But  let  him  be  humble  and  be  ready 
to  see  and  acknowledge  his  shortcomings  but  without 
exaggerating  them  and  the  Guiding  Hand  will  not 
let  him  stray  far  from  the  Path. 

Pupils  should,  therefore,  study  most  carefully  the 
law  of  all  spiritual  unfoldment.  Never  does  the 
Higher  Self  make  a  mere  automaton  of  a  pupil,  nor 
sow  the  seed  of  final  failure  by  flattering  him  or  by 
appeals  to  his  ambition.  On  the  contrary  his  earliest 
memories  are  more  apt  to  be  of  mistakes  than  of 
triumphs,  and  the  first  lessons  given  will  be  those 
which  will  inculcate  humility.  His  training  is  a 
process  of  guiding,  overshadowing  and  the  awakening 
of  all  dormant  faculties.  And  once  awakened  each 
faculty  must  be  put  to  the  most  severe  tests  ere  the 
pupil  is  ready  to  be  used.  Only  thus  can  he  raise  his 
vibrations  to  the  spiritual  key-note.  Never  is  the 
pupil  told  to  do  this  or  do  that  blindly.  He  may  be 
the  victim  of  the  arbitrary  commands  of  some  entity 
who  is  taking  advantage  of  his  lack  of  training  and 
discrimination  to  use  him  as  a  catspaw.  If  so,  he  will 
find  that  obedience  will  lead  him  to  violate  common- 
sense  and  bring  him  into  all  kinds  of  trouble.  When 
such  commands  are  received  interiorly  the  pupil  must 
consider  them  with  the  gravest  doubt,  and  is  perfectly 
justified  in  refusing  to  obey;  for  arbitrary  commands 
are  against  the  whole  law  of  evolution,  and  are  there- 


The  Voice  of  Isis  283 

fore  never  given  by  the  Higher  Self  or  by  the  Mas- 
ters of  the  Great  White  Lodge. 

Absolute  obedience  to  the  Higher  Guidance  is  re- 
quired of  all  who  would  do  the  Master's  work,  but 
such  guidance  never  violates  common-sense,  and  even 
the  vow  of  obedience  is  never  required  until  the  pupil 
through  repeated  experiences  has  learned  to  have  im- 
plicit faith  in  his  Guidance. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE    CYCLE    OF    NECESSITY. 
"I  and  my  Father  are  one." 

The  Higher  Self  is  the  Father-in-heaven  who  is 
continually  striving  to  lead  and  guide  the  human  per- 
sonality (the  son)  among  the  rocks  and  quicksands 
of  physical  existence,  called  "the  cycle  of  necessity," 
back  to  conscious  oneness  with  Him.  Until  the  per- 
sonality can  consciously  receive  its  teachings  direct, 
through  The  Voice  of  The  Silence,  the  Higher  Self 
must  take  advantage  of  every  opportunity  and  event 
in  the  earth-life  to  impress  upon  the  physical  brain- 
cells  of  the  personality,  the  main  lesson  which  the 
incarnation  is  intended  to  teach.  For  every  earth-life 
is  carefully  chosen  by  the  reincarnating  Ego,  and  is 
brought  about  under  the  best  conditions  and  in  the 
best  environment  possible,  under  the  limitations  of 
karmic  law,  to  learn  a  certain  great  lesson  necessary 
for  the  next  step  in  experience.  That  is,  the  environ- 
ment chosen  is  not  the  easiest  or  most  pleasant  for 
the  personality,  but  the  one  which  through  its  temp- 
tations and  trials  the  omniscience  of  the  Higher  Self 
deems  best  calculated  to  develop  the  Soul-qualities 
necessary  for  spiritual  advance.  Often  the  person- 
ality, owing  to  the  denseness  and  sluggishness  of  the 
particles  of  its  physical  brain  centers,  fails  to  respond 
to  the  vibrations  of  this  higher  Intelligence  and  can- 
not understand  the  guidance,  hence  ignorantly  places 
karmic  barriers  between  itself  and  the  desired  end. 
In  such  cases  life  itself  must  be  the  teacher.  Indeed, 
life  after  life  is  often  spent  in  learning  one  great 
lesson. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  285 

Since  the  personality  has  free-will,  within  certain 
karmic  limits,  it  cannot  be  coerced  into  following  its 
Divine  Guidance,  hence  if  like  a  boy  playing  truant 
from  school  it  refuses  to  learn  its  lessons  it  must 
return  day  after  day  (life  after  life)  to  the  same 
lesson  until  the  lesson  is  built  into  the  character  as 
a  Soul-quality.  Therefore  it  is  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance for  all  students  of  the  higher  life  to  at  least 
begin  to  learn  how  to  control  the  higher  centers  of 
their  physical  brains  and  render  them  capable  of 
registering  the  vibrations  sent  them  from  higher 
Intelligences.  Like  wireless  telegraphy,  no  matter 
how  perfectly  the  messages  are  sent,  unless  the  re- 
ceiving apparatus  is  attuned  to  the  key-note  of  the 
sender  the  messages  cannot  be  intelligently  received. 

As  all  Souls  are  but  differing  expressions  of  the 
One  Life,  each  must  bring  back  into  the  One  Life  a 
special  experience.  Unity  does  not  mean  an  ever- 
lasting recurrence  of  one  experience  for  all,  but  all 
experiences  in  the  One.  As  each  different  part  of 
the  body  has  its  own  function,  the  experience  of  which 
is  subject  to  and  is  registered  in  the  brain — the  sum 
total  of  the  experiences  of  all  organs  and  parts  being 
necessary  to  complete  a  Man — so  are  all  Soul-experi- 
ences comprised  in  the  One  Life.  Thus  is  personality 
transmuted  into  Individuality.  Individuality  is  never 
lost;  it  grows  more  complete  as  it  finds  the  comple- 
mentary phases  of  individuality  in  all  the  units  of  the 
One.  The  more  a  man  individualizes  the  use  of  his 
hands,  feet  or  brain,  the  more  perfect  a  man  is  he; 
for  if  the  hands  or  feet  or  brain  are  left  to  follow 
their  own  subconscious  (animal)  instincts,  the  man 
remains  but  a  clod.  Only  man  has  the  power  to  indi- 
vidualize himself,  and  the  urge  toward  this  advance 
is  imparted  from  the  Higher  Self  or  Real  Ego.  A 


286  The  Voice  of  Isis 

Master  is  one  who  has  trained  all  parts  and  functions 
of  his  body  to  their  highest  possible  individual  devel- 
opment and  holds  them  all  subject  to  his  will.  Ani- 
mals are  subject  to  the  will  of  man  and  can  only  gain 
what  is  called  "higher  intelligence"  in  an  animal, 
through  the  emanations  of  man's  thougiit  and  will. 
Some  animals  can  respond  readily  to  man  and  some 
cannot.  Some  men  can  easily  respond  to  the  Higher 
Self  and  learn,  while  others  less  evolved  cannot  re- 
spond so  readily.  Yet  all  Souls  bring  their  individual 
contribution  of  experiences  into  the  One  Life. 

Animals  _seem  to  follow  more  perfectly  than  man 
the  laws  of  the  One  Life  and  are  less  rebellious  than 
man.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  animals  lack  free- 
will and  blindly  and  obediently  follow  the  Group- 
soul  of  the  species.  Thus  all  wolves  have  the  same 
instincts,  all  serpents  the  same  characteristics,  etc.1 
Hence  you  know  what  to  expect  from  any  animal 
of  a  given  species  under  similar  conditions. 

In  the  beginning  each  Soul  is  given  its  particular 
work  and  place  in  the  Grand  Plan,  and  the  experience 
necessary  to  attain  this  end  must  be  gained  by  clothing 
itself  in  various  personalities.  The  faults  and  draw- 
backs which  prevent  this  attainment  loom  so  darkly 
before  the  Soul  that  paths  are  chosen  which,  no  mat- 
ter what  the  suffering  involved  may  be,  will  correct 
the  faults  and  remove  the  barriers  to  the  fulfillment 
of  that  Soul's  destiny.  Perhaps  the  destiny  of  the 
Soul  is  to  be  an  important  worker  for  the  upliftment 
of  humanity,  with  a  definite  place  in  that  work.  Such 
a  Soul  may  begin  the  work,  or  at  least  lay  the  founda- 
tions, in  the  earlier  incarnations  when  the  Soul  is 
young  (in  experience)  and  has  not  gone  far  from  the 
sheltering  love  of  the  Father's  house,  but  later,  the 

1  See  Letters  Front  the  Teacher,   Curtiss,  Chapter  X. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  287 

various  personalities  built  up  life  after  life  by  the 
Soul  to  use  as  instruments,  may  become  rebellious, 
stray  from  the  Path  and  set  up  side-issues,  either  as 
desires  or  complications — all  of  which  must  later  be 
experienced  and  their  essence  of  wisdom  and  power 
assimilated.  For  there  must  be  free-will.  The  per- 
sonality must  be  free  to  choose  its  path,  to  follow  or 
not  to  follow  its  Divine  Guidance.  Man  alone,  of  all 
the  animals,  can  choose  whether  he  will  or  will  not 
listen  and  obey. 

The  Father  (the  Higher  Self)  gives  to  each  son 
(the  personality)  the  portion  of  goods  belonging  to 
him;  that  out  of  which  he  must  weave  his  destiny. 
The  son  then  departs  into  the  far  country  of  physical 
existence.  Each  son  has  his  own  portion — the  portion 
belonging  to  him  by  right.  If  by  karmic  action  he 
has  earned  a  pleasant  portion — wealth,  position,  and 
love  of  friends — with  these  he  must  cultivate  Soul- 
growth  and  bring  back  to  his  Father's  house  the 
greatest  experiences  and  the  deepest  lessons  of  Divine 
Love  that  it  is  possible  to  garner  through  those 
earthly  blessings.  If  he  has  earned  or  chosen  as  his 
portion  poverty,  loneliness,  sorrow  and  sickness  he 
must  garner  the  golden  grains  of  wisdom  from  these 
experiences  also,  for  all  experiences  are  necessary. 
But  the  Soul  who  can  learn  from  another's  experi- 
ence need  not  pass  that  way  itself.  The  personality 
must  learn,  either  by  actual  experience  or  by  observa- 
tion and  sympathy  with  others,  that  the  side-issues 
are  not  what  the  Higher  Self  desires  it  to  experience. 
And  it  must  ultimately  learn  the  great  lesson,  attain 
the  position  and  do  the  work  mapped  out  for  it  from 
the  beginning. 

After  eons  of  time  and  myriads  of  incarnations  the 
Soul  gradually  gains  more  and  more  power  over  the 


288  The  Voice  of  Isis 

various  personalities  through  which  it  functions,  and, 
center  by  center,  subjects  their  physical  matter  to  its 
own  vibrations.  The  Soul  thus  learns  by  experience 
how  to  manipulate  matter  and  how  better  to  express 
itself  through  a  physical  instrument — the  body.  When 
the  Ego  has  succeeded  in  building  up  an  instrument 
into  whose  physical  brain-centers  a  sufficient  number 
of  spiritualized  atoms  which  vibrate  in  harmony  with 
the  Higher  Self  are  emplanted,  the  instrument  or  per- 
sonality may  be  said  to  be  unfolding  its  inner  facul- 
ties. At  this  stage  of  evolution  the  greatest  care  is 
needed;  for,  as  indicated  in  a  previous  chapter,1  there 
are  many  enemies  waiting  for  the  opportunity  to  push 
back  into  the  darkness,  or  mislead  for  their  own  per- 
sonal ends,  the  one  who  has  labored  so  long  and 
patiently  to  reach  this  advanced  point.  Let  us  suppose 
that  one  has  reached  this  point  and  has  kept  the 
"door"  of  his  heart,  and  is  conscious  of  the  loving 
guidance  of  his  Father-in-heaven.  The  great  danger 
at  this  stage  makes  a  careful  study  of  the  philosophy 
and  laws  of  Being  essential.  The  Voice  of  The 
Silence  has  to  penetrate  into,  triumph  over  prejudice 
— the  result  of  false  education — and  act  through  a 
physical  brain.  Since  a  physical  brain  can  only  regis- 
ter that  which  vibrates  in  harmony  with  its  capacity, 
and  since  through  all  the  years  of  its  life  it  has  been 
trained  to  vibrate  only  to  physical  stimuli,  it  must  be 
gradually  regenerated  or,  being  the  medium  through 
which  the  message  must  pass  to  reach  the  brain  con- 
sciousness of  the  personality,  all  that  is  passed  through 
it  will  necessarily  be  colored  by  something  of  its  per- 
sonal characteristics  and  prejudices.  In  other  words, 
a  message  received  from  the  Higher  Self  or  from  a 
Master  of  Wisdom  can  be  interpreted  only  in  the 

1  Narcotics,  Alcohol  and  Psychism. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  289 

terms  afforded  by  the  knowledge,  training  and  capac- 
ity of  the  physical  brain  of  the  personality.  Thus, 
without  special  training,  misunderstanding  and  mis- 
application of  the  message  is  more  than  probable. 
Many  psychics  blunder  and  subject  themselves  to 
ridicule  and  suffering  by  blindly  accepting  as  literal 
the  interpretation  made  by  their  untrained  brains  of 
messages  which  they  know  come  from  a  true  source. 
If  this  interpretation  proves  misleading,  they  are  made 
miserable  and  perhaps  turn  away  from  the  guiding 
Voice  which  is  trying  so  hard  to  help  them.  In  such 
cases  the  following  rules  should  be  strictly  adhered  to : 

First,  by  spiritual  aspiration  (prayer,  uttered  or 
unuttered),  meditation  and  above  all  by  love  for  all 
mankind  as  shown  in  the  daily  life,  raise  the  vibra- 
tions of  all  the  particles  composing  the  brain-centers. 

Second,  by  a  careful  study  of  proper  books,,  and 
by  a  close  observation  of  Nature,  strive  to  familiarize 
the  physical  brain  with  the  laws  governing  indepen- 
dent psychic  and  spiritual  communication. 

Third,   carefully   write  out  any   message   received,  • 
but  do  not  talk  about  it  to  others.    Then,  before  show-  1 
ing  it  to  anyone,  go  over  it  again  and  again,  bringing  \ 
to  bear  all  your  powers  of  logic  and  common-sense 
to  get  its  most  probable  application  to  your  own  life;  . 
for  all  messages  from  a  proper  source  are  in  accord 
with  the  law  of  absolute  justice.     No  true  Master 
ever  tells  a  pupil  to  do  anything  that  will  in  any  way 
infringe  upon  the  rights  of  another.     Messages  that 
cannot  stand  the  test  of  love,  compassion  and  justice 
are  either  mistakes  of  understanding  or  deliberate  at- 
tempts to  mislead ;  for  it  must  be  remembered  that 
there    are   masters   of    darkness    ever   watching   and 
waiting  to  take  advantage  of  those  whose  inner  fac- 
ulties are  unfolding.     Such  perverted  entities,  under- 


290  The  Voice  of  Isis 

standing  the  laws  of  communication,  are  able  to  reach 
the  student  at  an  earlier  period  of  his  development 
than  are  the  Masters  of  Light,  because  their  vibrations 
are  more  nearly  akin  to  the  earth-plane.  For  instance, 
the  Teachers  and  Masters  of  the  Great  White  Lodge 
can  communicate  with  a  pupil  only  over  waves  of  self- 
less love,  high  aspiration,  compassion,  purity  and 
humility,  while  those  of  "the  left  hand  path"  can  use 
vibrations  of  ambition,  self-seeking,  pride  and  vanity. 
But  their  messages,  while  apparently  lofty  and  pure, 
especially  at  first,  have  always  the  germ  of  some  great 
personal  power  or  reward  to  be  gained  by  the  pupil. 
Subtle  flattery  is  always  a  feature  of  their  instruction, 
while  those  from  the  White  Lodge  carefully  point 
out  the  pupil's  faults  and  tell  him  how  to  conquer 
them.  The  story  of  Dr.  Faustus  is  a  materialized 
dramatization  of  the  method  used  by  such  masters  of 
evil. 

Until  the  pupil  has  cleansed  his  heart  of  all 
self-seeking  he  is  open  to  attacks  from  the  first 
mentioned  source.  You  are  never  safe  if  the  Devil — 
the  power  of  all  that  works  against  God  or  good — 
can  find  a  single  vibration  of  ambition  or  selfishness 
over  which  he  can  enter.  As  the  Higher  Self  can 
communicate  only  over  vibrations  akin  to  Himself, 
so  the  Devil  can  tempt,  feat  but  can  lead  astray  and 
deceive  only  over  vibrations  similar  to  his  own. 
Hence  to  protect  yourself,  send  out  vibrations  of  self- 
less love  and  compassion  to  all  humanity. 

Each  Soul  has  an  evil  genius  created  by  it  during 
its  long  pilgrimage  through  matter.  This  is  fully  rec- 
ognized and  plainly  taught  in  the  temptations  of  the 
man  Jesus.  For  ere  He  could  gain  mastery  and 
enter  on  His  earthly  ministry,  He  was  led  by  the 
Spirit  into  the  Wilderness  to  be  tempted.  Every 


The  Voice  of  Isis  291 

neophyte  is  led  by  the  Spirit — the  Higher  Self — into 
a  mental  wilderness  where,  alone  in  the  dreary  wastes 
of  physical  experience,  he  is  tempted  by  the  devil  of 
his  own  creation.  The  fasting  for  forty  days  is  that 
period  during  which  he  must  abstain  from  his  old 
thoughts  and  habits,  must  cease  to  seek  for  outward 
help  and  learn  to  seek  within ;  must  turn  to  his  Father- 
in-heaven,  listen  to  the  voice  of  his  Higher  Self  and 
refuse  longer  to  be  guided  by  physical  vibrations. 
It  is  a  period  during  which  the  neophyte  is  left  with- 
out spiritual  food  and  hence  must  fast;  when  it  seems 
that  no  help  can  reach  him.  Only  after  this  prolonged 
fast  in  the  mental  wilderness  does  the  Devil  come  to 
tempt  him'.  In  the  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son  this 
is  the  period  of  his  homeward  journey,  when  he  has 
refused  to  eat  the  husks  and  has  not  yet  reached  his 
Father's  house.  It  is  always  here  that  the  Devil 
meets  each  Soul  and  tempts.  In  other  words,  long 
ere  he  has  really  found  that  perfect  vibration  of  love 
through  which  alone  he  can  hear  his  Higher  Self 
speak,  the  evil  genius,  or  those  akin  to  him — the  mas- 
ters of  the  shadow — can  speak  and  tempt  over  vibra- 
tions of  selfishness.  This  selfishness  and  ambition 
often  require  a  long  time  to  be  transmuted  into  love 
for  others,  for  they  have  a  way  of  hiding  behind  all 
sorts  of  sophistries. 

Up  to  this  point  the  pupil  has  had  to  contend  with 
but  petty  temptations  and  appetites,  but  now,  having 
consciously  taken  an  advanced  step,  through  prayer 
and  fasting  he  has  deliberately  entered  the  Wilder- 
ness to  be  tempted.  The  first  temptation  coming 
from  the  side  of  evil  is  generally  that  of  Power. 
"Command  that  these  stones  be  made  bread."  The 
Devil  says:  "Command  and  demand  all  that  you 
need.  You  are  not  sick  or  hungry.  You  are  The 


292  The  Voice  of  Isis 

Christ,  therefore  command  that  the  earth  (which 
karmic  law  has  bereft  of  Soul-nourishment  and 
spiritual  satisfaction)  shall  be  turned  into  bread  to 
satisfy  your  physical  wants,"  even  though  the  very 
eating  thereof  binds  you  tighter  to  the  wheel  of 
physical  existence.  The  second  temptation  comes 
in  the  form  of  self-righteousness.  The  Devil  takes 
the  hungry  Soul  up  into  a  high  place,  upon  the  very 
pinnacle  of  the  Temple  (the  body),  and  there  show- 
eth  how  the  Soul  has  conquered  the  flesh,  growing 
holier  than  others  by  the  control  of  the  lower  appe- 
tites, how  it  has  reached  the  gates  of  the  Holy  City 
and  has  become  a  guide  and  example  for  many  less 
holy  and  less  pure  followers.  Then  the  Devil  de- 
clares:  "Thou,  if  thou  be  the  Son  of  God  (or  if 
thou  be  The  Christ  as  you  have  affirmed),  cast 
thyself  down;  for  you  can  do  what  a  lesser  Soul 
could  not  do  without  sin.  That  which  would  be  sin 
in  one  not  placed  upon  so  high  a  pinnacle  of  the 
Temple  within  the  Holy  City  is  for  you  but  a  cer- 
tain license  earned  because  of  your  holiness.  'He 
shall  give  his  angels  charge  concerning  thee  lest  at 
any  time  thou  shalt  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone.' 
Therefore  you  can  do  that  which  would  be  sin  in 
others." 

The  third  temptation  is  one  of  Ambition.  This 
only  comes  to  the  Soul  who  has  reached  the 
mountains  of  spiritual  understanding.  The  neo- 
phyte has  painfully  climbed  the  mountain,  has 
entered  the  Silence,  has  heard  the  Voice  and  seen 
with  his  spiritual  eyes.  He  has  gained  certain 
psychic  powers,  and  lo!  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world  and  the  glory  thereof  are  spread  before  his 
sight.  His  evil  genius  points  out  that  by  his  awak- 
ened psychic  powers  he  can  gain  the  whole  world; 


The  Voice  of  Isis  293 

that  men  will  bow  down  to  him  and  give  him  fame 
and  glory  because  he  is  a  little  in^advance  of  the 
average ;  that  he  can  charge  large  'sums  for  inter- 
views, psychic  readings,  etc. ;  can  be  feted  and  hon- 
ored and  listened  to  by  the  multitude ;  can  be  her- 
alded from  place  to  place,  be  interviewed  by  the 
newspapers  and  receive  much  public  acclaim.  All 
of  which  is  a  very  real  and  terrible  temptation,  and 
one  which  only  those  who  have  actually  stood  upon 
the  "exceeding  high  mountain"  and  in  their  Soul- 
vision  have  actually  seen  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world  at  their  feet,  who  have  heard  the  tempter 
say:  "All  these  things  will  I  give  thee  if  thou  wilt 
fall  down  and  worship  me,"  can  understand  or 
appreciate.  For  this  temptation  cannot  come  until 
the  neophyte  has  approached  the  mountain's  top. 

An  understanding  of  these  temptations  should 
make  each  judge  leniently  the  shortcomings  and 
failures  of  those  who  have  stood  upon  the  heights, 
but  who  have  fallen  down  to  worship  either  the 
Beast,  the  Dragon  or  the  Anti-Christ.  Let  every 
one  cultivate  in  his  own  garden  the  fruits  of  the 
Spirit,  namely,  love,  joy,  peace,  gentleness,  good- 
ness, faith,  meekness  and  temperance.  Every  time 
you  stop  to  censure  or  condemn  another  an  enemy 
(your  evil  genius)  comes  while  you  sleep  and  sows 
vile  weeds  in  the  garden  of  your  Soul ;  weeds  which 
will  grow  apace  and  which  must  be  rooted  up  ere  the 
fruits  of  the  Spirit  can  be  garnered.  Every  time 
you  indulge  in  thoughts  of  evil  you  are  filling  your 
garden  with  all  sorts  of  predatory  creatures,  all  of 
which  must  be  driven  out  ere  you  can  become  one 
with  your  Father  and  sit  down  at  His  table  to  eat 
of  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit. 


294 


The  Voice  of  Isis 


The  cultivation  of  vthe  fruits  of  the  Spirit  will 
leave  you  no  time  to  see  the  shortcomings  of  others. 
To  eat  of  these  fruits  will  be  to  sit  down  at  your 
Father's  table  and  sup  with  Him.  "And  they  shall 
see  His  face,  and  His  name  shall  be  in  their  fore- 
heads." 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  PATH. 

"Thou  wilt  show  me  the  path  of  life." — Psalms, 
XVI,  11. 

"Now  for  the  fourth  prepare,  the  portal  of 
temptations  which  do  ensnare  the  inner  man."  .  . 
"Man  is  a  crystal  ray;  a  beam  of  light  immac- 
ulate within,  a  form  of  clay  material  upon  the 
lower  surface.  That  beam  is  thy  life-guide  and 
thy  true  Self,  the  Watcher  and  the  silent  Thinker, 
the  victim  of  thy  lower  Self." — The  Voice  of  the 
Silence,  Blavatsky,  Fragment  III. 

Every  student  who  has  earnestly  sought  associa- 
tion with  this  Order  has  done  so  because  of  an  inner 
urge,  which,  whether  verbally  expressed  or  not, 
manifests  as  a  determination  to  set  out  in  earnest 
upon  the  Path  of  Discipleship  which  leads  to  the 
goal  of  final  liberation.  Yet  few  there  be  who  are 
aware  of  the  many  snares  and  delusions  and  the 
many  requirements  necessary  to  attain  that  great 
end.  Many  think  this  Path  but  a  figure  of  speech, 
and  that  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  live  an  average  life, 
to  have  good  intentions,  to  be  honest  whenever  cir- 
cumstances permit,  to  be  true  whenever  it  seems  to 
pay,  saying  with  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders  "No  one 
is  perfect  and  I  am  doing  the  best  I  can  under  the 
circumstances."  Such  persons  have  not  only  not 
entered  the  Path  but  have  no  conception  of  what 
the  Path  is. 

How  many,  many  there  are  who  earnestly  and 
sincerely  believe  they  have  entered  the  Path,  yet 
who  after  years  of  earth-life,  years  of  striving  and 


296  The  Voice  of  Isis 

study  and  meditation,  find  themselves  apparently 
no  further  advanced  than  when  they  set  out.  Hence, 
many  become  discouraged  and  turn  back,  saying  it  is 
a  hopeless  task,  or  that  only  after  many  lives — some 
say  at  least  seven  more — they  may  begin  to  attain. 
But  the  truth  is  that  unless  you  begin  to  attain 
today,  this  present  moment,  you  have  not  entered 
the  Path ;  for  this  Path  is  made  up  of  regular  steps, 
each  one  a  definite  attainment.  These  attainments 
are  not  mystical  dreams  of  a  far-away  perfection 
to  be  attained  in  the  dim  future,  but  something  that 
belongs  to  your  every-day  life.  The  first  step  in  Mas- 
tery must  be  taken  now,  in  a  definite  practical  way ;  for 
until  this  is  done  the  greater  steps  will  forever  remain 
untaken. 

The  Path  is  the  Path  of  Renunciation,  yet  it  is 
also  a  Path  of  glorious  achievement.  Upon  it  you 
will  find  many  things  to  comfort  you  during  the 
long  nights  of  darkness  and  the  days  of  combat, 
many  resting-places,  many  joys.  The  renunciation 
does  not  mean  the  renunciation  of  all  human  sym- 
pathy, all  natural  human  traits ;  for  you  must  be 
"all  things  unto  all  men,"  and  this  you  cannot  be 
if  you  become  what  the  world  calls  a  "crank."  The 
renunciation  must  be  the  renunciation  of  the  domin- 
ion of  the  lower  self  and  the  disciplining  and  train- 
ing of  its  desires  and  appetites ;  the  self  you  have 
built  up  out  of  false  conceptions  of  the  events 
through  which  you  have  gained  the  experience 
which  entitles  you  to  enter  upon  this  definite  step. 
Those  who  have  chosen  this  step  are  like  soldiers 
who  have  donned  their  armor  and  are  waiting  to  go 
forth  to  victory. 

The  goal  is  reached  through  definite  attainments, 
spoken  of  as  Gates  opening  into  new  stages  of  the 


The  Voice  of  Isis  297 

journey.  These  Gates  are  definite  attainments  here 
and  now  in  this  present  life.  Each  step  means  a 
struggle,  a  literal  shaping  of  every  act  and  thought 
toward  a  definite  end  which  is  fully  outlined  in  the 
mind  and  made  the  objective  point  of  the  life.  The 
first  Gate  to  be  passed  is  the  attainment  of  Charity, 
and  Tolerance  for  all,  a  realization  of  Divine  Love 
and  an  earnest  desire  to  become  one  with  The 
Christ-force  which  is  manifesting  in  your  fellow 
man.  This  is  the  first  Gate  to  be  entered  because 
intolerance  is  a  bar  to  further  progress.  Hence 
while  there  is  the  least  intolerance  in  your  heart 
this  barred  Gate  will  shut  off  even  a  vista  of  the  Path. 
To  conquer  intolerance  realize  Divine  Love  as  a 
white  light  which  can  only  manifest  on  earth 
through  its  many  prismatic  colors,  and  that  each 
color,  if  true  and  undefiled,  has  its  place  in  the 
heart  of  the  pure  white  light,  for  the  white  light 
could  not  be  complete  if  one  color  ray  was  missing. 
The  color  rays  symbolize  the  seven  great  types  or 
classes  of  humanity  with  their  various  idiosyn- 
cracies.  To  attain  true  tolerance  realize  that  your 
brothers  and  sisters,  with  all  their  differences  of 
opinion  and  various  ways  of  looking  at  divine 
Truth,  are  nevertheless  necessary  parts  of  the 
Grand  Plan,  and  that  without  them  you  would  lack. 
Only  a  realization  of  the  oneness  of  all  and  their 
necessity  for  the  completion  of  the  whole  can  bring 
true  tolerance.  You  may  talk  of  loving  your 
brother  as  yourself,  but  until  you  have  at  least  a  mental 
grasp  of  the  truth  that  your  brother  is  necessary 
to  your  own  growth,  can  you  really  manifest  it. 
As  long  as  you  look  upon  yourself  as  separate  and 
aloof  from  your  brother  this  great  bar  of  intoler- 
ance will  remain  across  the  entrance  to  the  Path. 


298  The  Voice  of  Isis 

In  the  above  we  have  emphasized  the  construc- 
tive idea  of  tolerance.  For  many  think  tolerance 
means  so  vague  and  indefinite  an  idea  of  what  you 
yourself  believe  that  you  are  willing  to  follow  the 
teaching  of  every  phase  of  Truth  anyone  may 
expound  to  you.  But  such  a  course  is  merely  con- 
fusing, for  you  cannot  be  truly  tolerant  until  you 
are  quite  sure  which  avenue  of  teaching  best  suits 
your  Soul  needs.  Seek  earnestly  for  the  particular 
line  of  teaching  which  most  appeals  to  you  and 
which  proves  most  helpful  to  your  spiritual  growth, 
then,  while  recognizing  the  good  in  all  others  and 
being  tolerant  to  all  divergent  views,  be  well 
grounded  in  your  chosen  teaching,  so  that  you  can- 
not be  misled  or  carried  away  by  sophistry  but  will 
remain  unmoved  as  long  as  the  teaching  feeds  your 
spiritual  hunger.  Only  thus  can  you  take  your 
place  as  a  shining  beam  in  your  own  color  ray  or 
avenue  of  teaching.  It  is  like  a  military  evolution ; 
the  figure  is  perfect  only  when  each  individual  is  in 
his  own  place  in  his  own  company  and  is  paying 
no  attention  to  the  others  except  to  recognize  their 
part  in  the  evolution  and  work  harmoniously  with 
them. 

Charity  is  that  all-embracing  Love  which  seeks 
for  the  good  in  all.  It  does  not  mean  that  you  are 
to  condone  evil,  for  to  do  so  is  to  spread  it.  It  means 
that  while  you  are  never  to  condemn  a  personality 
for  his  or  her  failings,  you  are  to  stand  firm  for  the 
principles  of  right,  truth,  justice  and  purity  when- 
ever you  are  tempted  or  see  them  violated,  so  that 
there  can  be  no  misunderstanding  as  to  the  prin- 
ciples you  uphold. 

The  second  Gate  consists  of  the  attainment  of 
Harmony,  both  within  yourself  and  also  with  your 
surroundings,  or  the  power  to  be  so  harmonized  to 


The  Voice  of  Isis  299 

Divinity  that  you  pass  through  the  turmoil  and 
inharmony  of  life  without  permitting  them  to 
upset  you. 

At  this  Gate  you  must  conquer  fear,  for  this  is 
a  necessary  part  of  the  attainment  of  harmony, 
for  only  perfect  love  casteth  out  fear.  Many  pupils 
knock  a  long  time  at  this  Gate  and  wonder  why 
it  does  not  open  to  them.  They  desire  harmony 
above  all  else  and  cry  out  continually  that  they 
are  sending  out  nothing  but  love  to  their  fellow 
men  yet  receive  in  return  inharmony,  unkindness 
and  cruelty.  If  such  candidates  would  look  within 
themselves  instead  of  around  them  for  the  harmony 
they  seek  they  would  find  that  the  great  specter  Fear 
held  them  enthralled.  They  fear  a  thousand  things, 
chiefly  that  the  world  does  not  understand  what 
they  are  striving  to  manifest,  for  if  it  did  it  could 
not  send  back  so  much  inharmony.  They  fear  the 
opinions  of  friends,  poverty,  sickness,  death.  In 
fact  their  fears  are  too  numerous  to  mention  and 
in  their  hearts,  although  the  beautiful  flower  of  love 
has  been  planted,  yet  the  many  noxious  weeds  of 
fear  have  sprung  up  so  thickly  that  the  plant  is  un- 
able to  bloom  and  send  out  its  perfume  to  harmon- 
ize the  conditions  in  which  it  grows.  Therefore 
they  will  knock  at  this  Gate  in  vain  until  they  have 
vanquished  fear  or  until  they  have  learned  to  trust 
and  believe  in  the  divine  overshadowing  Love  which 
casteth  out  fear.  When  this  is  attained  they  will 
awaken  to  find  the  Gate  of  Harmony  already  ajar. 

This  specter,  Fear,  while  it  seems  a  giant  is  in 
reality  but  a  shadow  of  the  night.  Let  the  candidate 
realize  the  divinity  of  his  Real  Self,  that  it  is  death- 
less, immortal  and  cannot  be  harmed.  Let  him  re- 
peat constantly  "I  am  fearless  because  my  Real  Self 


300  The  Voice  of  Isis 

is  divine  and  there  is  nothing  to  fear.  Divine  Love  is 
the  law  of  my  being  and  I  can  trust  in  this  great 
Law  to  conquer  all  conditions.  With  it  I  am  strong, 
powerful,  forceful.  Manifesting  this  love  I  cannot 
be  discouraged,  frightened,  or  turned  aside  from  the 
Path  of  spiritual  attainment."  As  he  permits  his 
consciousness  to  dwell  in  this  thought  there  will 
grow  up  in  him  the  strength  and  power  to  conquer. 
Then  ere  he  knows  it  he  will  find  this  Gate  standing 
wide  and  the  light  of  its  portal  flooding  his  whole 
life  with  the  glory  of  its  Love  and  Harmony. 

The  Third  Gate  is  that  of  Patience,  i.  e.,  having 
earnestly  cultivated  Divine  Love  in  your  heart,  and 
Tolerance  and  Charity  for  all ;  having  harmonized 
yourself  to  The  Christ  and  to  your  surroundings, 
and  having  conquered  fear,  there  must  ensue  a 
longer  or  shorter  period  in  which  you  wait  for  you 
scarce  know  what.  This  is  beautifully  expressed 
by  the  Psalmist:  "My  soul  waiteth  for  the  Lord 
more  than  they  that  watch  for  the  morning."1  And 
again,  the  heart  cries  out:  "And  now,  Lord,  what 
wait  I  for?  my  hope  is  in  Thee.  Deliver  me  from 
all  my  transgressions."2  You  are  waiting  for  the 
Divine  Law  to  bring  to  you  the  result  of  your  at- 
tainments. This  is  a  very  trying  period  in  your 
life,  because,  feeling  that  you  have  attained  to  Love, 
Harmony,  Charity,  Tolerance,  etc.,  you  cannot  un- 
derstand why  you  must  tarry  so  long  at  this  Third 
Gate.  Yet  there  is  a  great  necessity  that  it  should 
be  so,  for  without  the  virtues  of  Patience  and  Trust, 
and  Confidence  that  whatever  comes  is  best,  you 
would  be  utterly  unable  to  cope  with  the  more 
active  trials  and  temptations  that  will  assail  you 
when  you  reach  the  Fourth  Gate.  This  waiting 

1  Psalms  CXXX-6. 

«  Psalms  XXXIX.  7-8. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  301 

develops  the  Patience  which  affords  the  Soul  a 
chance  to  learn  the  great  lesson  Keep  Silent,  also 
how  to  enter  into  the  Silence  and  become  one  with 
it.  For  you  have  not  mastered  Patience  until  you 
have  learned  to  quiet  the  mentality,  enter  the 
Silence  and  realize  the  meaning  of  the  text  "Be 
still  and  know  that  I  (the  great  Law  of  Love)  am 
God." 

When  you  have  consciously  sought  membership 
in  The  Order  of  the  15  you  are  supposed  to  have 
passed,  in  a  measure  at  least,  the  first  three  of  these 
Gates,  and  are  now  knocking  at  the  Fourth;  the 
Gate  which  opens  to  your  consciousness  the  Path 
itself.  You  are  now  ready  to  obey  the  voice  of  your 
Higher  Self  which  is  urging  upon  you  a  conscious 
and  persistent  effort  toward  Mastery,  instead  of 
drifting  aimlessly  as  heretofore  on  the  sea  of  life. 
The  entrance  to  this  Fourth  Gate  is  a  most  momen- 
tous event,  for  it  marks  the  end  of  the  first  great 
cycle  of  your  spiritual  growth.  Since  from  an  oc- 
cult standpoint  the  4  contains  the  potency  of  the  10 
(1+2+3+4=10),  and  since  4  or  the  square  is  the 
most  perfect  earthly  figure,  at  this  point  you  must 
square  yourself  as  it  were  with  earthly  conditions 
as  you  find  them ;  for  at  this  step  you  face  the  fourth 
dimension  in  which  all  things  interpenetrate.  At 
this  point  you  must  face  yourself,  for  over  this  Gate 
is  written  the  Pythagorian  precept :  "Man,  know 
thyself."  When  you  strive  to  obey  this  precept  you 
will  become  aware  that  there  is  at  least  one  great 
iron  bar  which  closes  this  Gate  to  you.  But 
within  yourself  you  can  find  the  power  to  lift  this 
bar  and  permit  the  Gate  to  swing  open.  No  one 
can  recognize  and  lift  this  bar  but  yourself. 


302  The  Voice  of  Isis 

Until  this  Fourth  Gate  is  reached,  your  life  has 
been  a  more  or  less  unconscious  growth  in  Love, 
Charity,  Tolerance,  Harmony,  Fearlessness,  and 
Patience,  but  now  you  face  a  serious  conscious 
struggle.  You  must  now  begin  to  take  account  of 
yourself  within  as  well  as  without.  You  have  been 
able  largely  to  control  your  actions  and  your  words. 
You  now  become  responsible  for  your  own  creations, 
the  children  of  your  thoughts,  and  must  "To  the 
Silent  Thinker  be  united."  This  Silent  Thinker  is 
not  that  which  is  known  as  the  Voice  of  the  Silence, 
but  that  silent  undercurrent  of  thought  which  is 
continually  penetrating  your  brain,  although  what 
might  be  called  the  active  thoughts  may,  like  ripples 
on  the  surface,  make  you  unaware  of  what  is  trans- 
piring in  the  depths.  The  instant  you  begin  self- 
analysis  you  will  find  there  are  many  deep  thoughts 
which  come  into  your  mind  without  your  volition 
and  seem  to  think  themselves.  These  are  of  two 
kinds ;  if  they  are  uplifting,  grand  or  beyond  the 
power  of  the  physical  brain  to  express,  they  come 
from  the  Silent  Thinker;  if  they  are  frivolous,  con- 
temptible, or  vile,  they  are  but  the  reflection  of  the 
world's  current  of  thought  to  which  you  have  united 
yourself  and  permitted  to  flow  through  you,  "the 
children  of  your  thoughts,  unseen,  impalpable,  that 
swarm  around  human-kind."  But  of  whatever 
character  they  may  be,  they  are  the  index  of  the 
self  you  are  to  study  and  to  conquer.  For  to  "know 
thyself"  means  to  go  down  deep  into  the  sources 
of  selfhood  and  decide  just  what  the  great  motives 
are  which  are  determining  your  character  and 
prompting  your  actions.  These  motives  can  be 
determined  by  careful  study  of  the  impalpable 
thoughts  which  intrude  themselves  upon  you 


The  Voice  of  Isis  303 

against  your  volition.  Thoughts  are  things,  and 
man  in  the  aggregate  during  his  evolution  has 
thrown  off  thoughts  of  all  kinds,  and  these  accumu- 
lated thought-forms  have  become  great  vortices  of 
force  into  which  each  Soul  is  naturally  drawn,  ac- 
cording to  its  affinity  with  the  one  or  the  other  type.  In 
other  words,  you  permit  your  mind  to  be  so  filled 
with  the  currents  of  the  world-thought  surrounding 
you  that  your  brain  becomes  a  fit  vehicle  for,  and 
develops  within  it  definite  channels  through  which 
certain  classes  of  thought-currents  naturally  flow, 
just  as  a  stream  automatically  follows  a  channel 
dug  for  it;  and  the  longer  it  flows  in  one  channel 
the  broader  and  deeper  the  channel  becomes,  and  the 
more  difficult  it  is  to  change  the  stream.  It  is  well 
known  that  the  brain  of  a  thinker  differs  from  that  of 
a  savage  not  so  much  in  size  and  weight  as  in  the  num- 
ber and  depth  of  its  convolutions,  which  convolutions 
are  developed  by  the  functioning  of  the  centers  they 
contain. 

Another  means  of  self-analysis  is  carefully  and 
fearlessly  to  interpret  your  dreams  and  visions. 
For  the  Silent  Thinker  is  continually  guiding  and 
warning  you  by  means  of  such  experiences.  Dreams 
are  of  three  general  classes :  first,  confused  inco- 
herent ideas  more  or  less  imperfectly  remembered, 
the  result  of  inharmonious  physical  or  mental  con- 
ditions which  keep  the  lower  mind  more  or  less  ac- 
tive yet  uncontrolled  by  the  presence  of  the  Ego ; 
second,  the  experiences  of  the  human-mind  wander- 
ing uncontrolled  in  the  lower  astral  world;  third, 
the  symbolic  dreams  and  visions,  coherent  and 
usually  clearly  remembered,  the  result  of  the  per- 
sonality doing  the  best  it  can,  by  using  the  thought 
materials  of  the  waking  consciousness,  to  illustrate 


304  The  Voice  of  Isis 

the  spiritual  truths  or  lessons  given  by  its  Higher 
Self  during  the  sleep  of  the  body.  Hence  a  careful 
analysis  of  dreams  will  show  what  general  stage  of 
development  the  candidate  has  reached  and  what 
general  problems  he  must  face  and  conquer.  You 
do  not  have  to  experience  the  two  lower  classes  of 
dreams  if  you  train  your  brain  mind  to  refuse  to 
accept  such  experiences.  When  this  training  is 
accomplished  you  will  dream  only  when  your 
Higher  Self  desires  to  give  you  a  lesson  or  a  warn- 
ing. 

It  is  with  these  inner  thought-currents  that  the 
candidate  who  knocks  at  the  Fourth  Gate  must  de- 
terminately  grapple ;  first  recognize,  and  then  con- 
trol. No  thought-currents  coming  from  your  Higher 
Self  or  from  the  Masters  of  Wisdom  can  flow  into 
your  consciousness  until,  by  determined  conscious 
effort,  you  have  swept  away  all  trifling  thoughts  and 
have  prepared  channels  for  higher  thoughts.  At 
this  step  you  become  responsible  for  the  effect  of 
every  outside  influence  that  impinges  upon  your 
consciousness.  You  become  responsible  not  only 
for  all  the  emanations  which  you  send  out  to  inter- 
penetrate all  space  and  impinge  upon  every  other 
human  being  but  also  responsible  for  every  thought 
you  permit  to  enter  your  consciousness  from  any 
source. 

While  you  cannot  expect  to  conquer  all  at  once 
and  absolutely  shut  out  every  undesirable  thought, 
still  you  can  refuse  to  dwell  upon  a  thought 
and  can  determinately  think  some  constructive 
thought  which  will  ultimately  create  a  channel 
through  which  like  thoughts  will  naturally  flow. 
In  other  words,  you  must  be  the  Chooser,  the 
Wilier,  the  Master  of  your  thoughts.  And  you  will 


The  Voice  of  Isis  305 

remain  before  this  Gate  until  you  carve  out  new 
channels  through  which  the  currents  of  thought 
from  the  Silent  Thinker  can  flow  into  your  con- 
sciousness. Hence,  Patience  is  the  supreme  quality 
to  be  cultivated  at  this  Gate. 

There  are  many  barriers  which  hold  you  back  at 
this  point — until  you  can  recognize  that  there  is 
nothing  in  all  the  universe  that  is  important  enough 
to  stop  your  onward  march ;  that  the  Silent  Thinker 
is  your  True  Self,  one  with  Divinity.  When  these 
barriers  are  reached,  so  many,  many  cry  out: 
"What  shall  I  do?  How  shall  I  conquer?  Give  me 
some  definite  step  to  take  that  I  may  know  I  have 
really  entered  the  Path."  Why  this  questioning? 
When  through  all  the  ages  "Wisdom  crieth  with- 
out; she  uttereth  her  voice  in  the  streets;  she  crieth 
in  the  chief  place  of  the  concourse,  in  the  openings 
of  the  gates."  1 

The  first  step  is  plainly  set  forth  in  The  Voice  of 
The  Silence:2  "Before  the  Soul  can  comprehend  and 
may  remember,  she  must  unto  the  Silent  Speaker 
be  united,  just  as  the  form  to  which  the  clay  is 
modeled  is  first  united  with  the  potter's  mind." 
Here  you  find  the  first  step,  the  great  step,  pointed 
out.  Indeed;  this  step  is  the  beginning  and  the  end, 
for  only  as  you  strive  for  and  accomplish  this  feat 
can  you  truly  enter  the  Fourth  Gate  and  win  final 
victory.  How  can  you  get  from  this  injunction  the 
help  your  heart  longs  for?  the  definite  step  that  shall 
make  you  something  different,  something  greater, 
better,  higher;  that  shall  give  you  power?  While 
we  do  not  countenance  attempts  to  cultivate  abnor- 
mal powers,  we  are  told  again  and  again  that  if  you 
are  a  child  of  the  Father  and  are  doing  the  works  of 

1  Proverbs  i,  20-21 

2  Page  2. 


306  The  Voice  of  Isis 

the  Father,  then  you  will  have  the  powers  of  the 
Father  abiding  in  you. 

How  is  this  to  be  accomplished?  Just  as  clay  is 
united  to  the  potter's  mind.  When  a  potter  starts 
to  make  a  wonderful  vase — a  marvel  of  beauty,  a 
poem  of  symbology,  a  lesson  for  all  who  look — he 
does  not  copy  something  another  mind  has  brought 
forth.  Such  a  production  would  be  spurious.  The 
true  potter,  the  artist,  is  original.  Long  before  one 
stroke  is  made,  even  before  the  clay  is  moistened, 
his  mind  has  created  every  detail  of  the  vase.  This 
is  an  illustration  of  how  you  must  go  to  work. 
Unite  yourself  with  the  mind  of  the  Great  Potter, 
the  Great  Over-Soul,  the  Thinker,  Him  of  whom 
you  desire  to  become  an  expression,  for  to  you  He 
must  first  become  the  Silent  Thinker  ere  He  be- 
comes the  Speaker.  Before  you  can  remodel  your 
life  you  must  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  Divine  Plan 
in  the  mind  of  the  Silent  Thinker.  Tolerate  no  de- 
fect, see  a  vision  of  the  perfection  you  desire  to 
reach  and  work  consciously  in  harmony  with  it. 
This  cannot  be  accomplished  until  you  have  realized 
the  possibility  of  closing  the  door  of  your  mind  to 
all  undesirable  thoughts.  To  do  this,  practice  mak- 
ing your  mind  a  blank  and  shutting  out  all  thought 
and  when  this  has  been  accomplished  in  a  measure 
you  will  be  ready  to  open  the  door  to  such  thoughts 
as  you  desire. 

As  long  as  thoughts  of  discouragement,  impa- 
tience, self-depreciation,  or  other  similar  thoughts 
can  fill  your  mind  against  your  will  to  the  exclusion 
of  the  thoughts  you  have  chosen,  you  have  not 
united  yourself  to  the  Silent  Thinker  and  cannot 
hear  the  voice  of  the  Silent  Speaker.  Therefore, 
while  the  task  is  arduous  it  is  not  hopeless.  As  we 
said  in  the  beginning,  there  are  many  joys  along 


The  Voice  of  Isis  307 

the  Path,  chief  of  which  is  the  consciousness  of 
your  Divine  Guidance  and  the  realization  that  you 
are  but  following  in  the  steps  of  every  Great  Soul 
who  has  attained  Mastery.  And  the  very  fact  of 
determinately  facing  this  Fourth  Gate  brings  you 
into  a  thought-current,  which  has  been  both 
created  and  strengthened  by  the  many  pilgrims 
who  have  passed  this  way,  so  that  it  may  be  said 
that  they  have  left  behind  landmarks  and  guide- 
posts  for  your  direction.  There  is  scarcely  a  tempta- 
tion that  can  assail  you  that  many  of  the  loving 
Elder  Brothers  have  not  passed  through  and  con- 
quered, hence  They  are  stretching  out  guiding 
hands  to  help  you.  The  very  force  with  which  They 
conquered  remains  as  a  sacred  aura  around  this 
Gate ;  in  fact,  the  thoughts  They  have  left  behind 
might  be  compared  to  a  golden  thread  reaching  all 
the  way.  And  as  long  as  you  hold  to  this  thread 
you  cannot  lose  your  way. 

"Ere  thou  canst  near  that  goal,  before  thine  hand 
is  lifted  to  upraise  the  fourth  gate's  latch,  thou  must 
have  mastered  all  the  mental  changes  in  thy  Self, 
and  slain  the  army  of  the  thought  sensations  that, 
subtle  and  insidious,  creep  unasked  within  the 

Soul's  bright  shrine Strive  with  thy 

thoughts  unclean  before  they  overpower  thee.  Use 
them  as  they  will  use  thee,  for  if  thou  sparest  them 
and  they  take  root  and  grow,  know  well  these 

thoughts  will  overpower  and  kill  thee 

O  fearless  Aspirant,  look  deep  within  the  well  of 
thine  own  heart,  and  answer.  Knowest  thou  of 
Self  the  powers,  O  thou  perceiver  of  external  shad- 
ows?   For,  on  Path  fourth,  the  lightest 

breeze  of  passion  or  desire  will  stir  the  steady  light 
upon  the  pure  white  walls  of  Soul."  1 

1  The  Voice  of  The  Silence,  Blavatsky,  Fragment  I. 
(Carefully  re-study  the  chapter  on  Purity.) 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
EARTH'S  FINER  FORCES. 

"Earth  my  mother  bid  me  learn 
Truth  in  darkness  to  discern; 
Like  thy  forces,  silently, 
Work   in   true   humility." 
— Hymns  of  The  Order  of  the  15. 

In  the  Orient  the  foot  is  held  in  high  esteem 
for  its  symbology — spiritual  understanding — as  well 
as  for  its  beauty  and  symmetry.  And  frequent 
ceremonial  washings  are  enjoined  both  by  religion 
and  hospitality.  Shoes  are  worn  only  for  protec- 
tion, it  being  a  breach  of  etiquette  to  enter  the 
presence  of  a  high  dignitary  with  the  feet  covered. 
In  places  of  worship  the  shoes  are  left  at  the  door, 
the  devotee  entering  the  holy  place  barefooted. 
Moreover,  oriental  temples  are  seldom  found  with 
any  floor  but  Mother  Earth.  The  pious  Moslem 
sprinkles  fresh  earth  in  his  shoes  so  that  when  com- 
pelled to  wear  them  he  will  still  have  his  feet  upon 
the  earth ;  for  he  knows  that  it  is  through  the  soles 
of  the  feet  that  the  nourishing  magnetism  of  Mother 
Earth  enters  the  body  to  give  life  and  health  to  her 
children. 

The  Y ogles  of  the  East  go  barefooted  in  com- 
pliance with  this  law,  and  their  habit  of  sitting 
upon  a  mat  of  rushes  spread  upon  the  bare  ground 
is  to  gain  the  valued  aid  of  the  earth-forces  in  their 
spiritual  development.  The  magnetic  forces  that 
enter  at  the  feet  pass  out  at  the  head,  therefore  the 
yogi  covers  his  head  with  a  silk  turban.  Silk,  being 
a  non-conductor,  prevents  the  escape  of  the  earth- 


The  Voice  of  Isis  309 

forces  and  stores  them  up  in  his  body  to  be  utilized 
for  his  further  development.  To  wear  silk  upon 
the  feet  insulates  the  body  from  the  earth-forces 
and  impedes  the  flow  of  the  currents  of  your  per- 
sonal magnetism  back  to  the  earth  in  perfect  equi- 
librium. As  the  magnetism  is  the  force  upon  which 
obsessing  or  controlling  entities  feed,  persons  re- 
ceiving communications  from  the  astral-plane  are 
frequently  advised  by  their  controls  to  wear  silk 
upon  the  feet,  thus  interfering  with  the  normal 
exchange  of  forces  and  storing  up  the  personal 
magnetism  for  the  use  of  the  controlling  entity. 
Naturally  such  practices  belong  to  the  destructive 
method  of  psychic  communication  and  hence  are 
to  be  avoided. 

To  obtain  power  and  enter  into  close  touch  with 
Nature  it  is  desirable  at  certain  times  to  put  off 
your  shoes,  and,  after  rubbing  the  feet  with  a  little 
vegetable  oil,  walk  barefooted  while  the  dew  is  still 
upon  the  grass.  While  helpful  and  advisable  this 
practice  is  by  no  means  the  most  important  factor, 
for  true  spiritual  development  is  the  result  of  mani- 
festing The  Christ-force  in  the  heart,  and  all  ex- 
ternal forces  are  but  secondary.  Without  the  spir- 
itual growth  no  amount  of  magnetic  forces  can  pro- 
duce spirituality.  Walking  barefoot  in  the  dew 
is  practiced  in  many  of  the  occult  schools  of  the 
East  as  well  as  by  the  Barefoot  Friars  of  the 
Christian  era. 

Very  early  in  the  morning  the  earth  is  giving 
forth  its  magnetism  most  abundantly.  The  forces 
with  which  the  sun  has  filled  the  earth  during  the 
previous  day  have  germinated  in  the  darkness  (as 
all  life  must),  and  in  the  morning  are  breathed  out 
by  Mother  Earth  in  sufficient  quantity  to  sustain 


310  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

her  children  through  the  day.  While  the  sun 
rules  the  day,  and  by  its  creative  power  causes  all 
life  to  germinate,  still  it  is  only  the  masculine  force 
—the  Father — and  alone  it  cannot  create ;  but  when 
it  is  joined  with  the  air,  its  expression,1  and  com- 
mingled with  water — the  feminine  force — deep 
within  the  bosom  of  the  earth  a  wonderful  alchemi- 
cal change,  called  creation,  takes  place.  It  is  thus 
that  moist  earth  (the  Mother)  when  fecundated  by 
the  sun  (the  Father)  expressing  himself  through  air, 
brings  forth.  When  the  earth  is  parched  and  dry 
the  magnetic  rays  from  the  sun  cannot  penetrate 
it  but  are  deflected  and  dissipated,  so  that  instead 
of  fecundating  they  wither  and  burn  the  vegetation. 
It  is  through  Mother  Earth  that  the  life-forces 
are  incubated  and  brought  forth,  not  only  for  Na- 
ture, but  for  mankind.  After  the  magnetic  rays 
from  the  sun  have  fecundated  the  germs  of  physical 
life  they  are  developed  and  given  forth  by  the 
breath  of  the  earth.  Well  has  the  earth  been 
called  our  Mother,  for  only  through  the  dual  forces 
generated  in  the  earth  is  life  manifested  and  nour- 
ished. It  is  not  sunshine  alone  that  gives  life,  but 
it  is  sunshine  absorbed,  fecundated  and  sent  forth  by 
the  earth,  assimilated  by  all  vegetation  through  its 
roots  and  by  all  animal  life  through  the  soles  of  its 
feet,  that  gives  the  magnetic  nourishment  of  the 
dual  forces  which  perfect  life  and  health.  Modern 
medicine  has  accepted  this  fact,  under  the  name 
of  Kneipp2  treatment,  without  knowing  its  rationale. 
Walking  barefooted  is  now  prescribed  throughout 

1  The  sun  force  cannot  express  itself  on  the  earth  without  air,  t.  €., 
fire  cannot  burn  without  oxygen. 

*  Father  Sebastian  Kneipp,  a  Bavarian  priest,  son  of  a  poor 
weaver.  He  cured  himself  and  a  fellow  student  of  nervous  pros- 
tration by  a  system  of  nature  cure,  and  later  founded  a  large  sani- 
tarium for  nature  cure  at  Woerishofen.  Walking  barefooted  is  a 
marked  feature  of  the  treatment. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  311 

Europe  and  at  many  sanitariums  in  this  country 
as  a  part  of  various  nature-cure  procedures. 

In  the  ancient  Schools  of  the  Prophets,  and  among 
the  pupils  of  all  the  great  teachers  of  the  Mysteries, 
great  attention  was  given  to  the  study  of  Nature.  The 
disciples,  being  separated  from  the  world,  were  re- 
quired to  spend  much  time  in  meditation  close  to 
Mother  Earth,  always  with  their  feet  bare  and 
their  heads  covered.  The  earth-forces,  if  allowed 
uninterrupted  play  through  man's  body,  bring  to 
him,  just  as  they  do  to  the  plants,  the  kind  of 
magnetic  nourishment  suited  to  his  requirements, 
in  exact  accord  with  his  capacity  to  utilize  it,  to 
reach  perfection  on  all  planes.  As  well  might  we 
expect  a  rose  to  grow  to  perfection  and  bloom  with 
its  roots  suspended  above  the  earth  as  for  man  to 
develop  without  contact  with  the  earth.  For  not 
only  does  he  draw  health  for  his  physical  .body 
from  the  earth,  but  also  a  power  which  aids  in  un- 
folding his  inner  faculties.  We  might  give  the  rose 
sunlight,  air  and  water,  and  might  tend  it  with  all 
care,  but  unless  Mother  Earth  was  permitted  to 
first  irribibe  the  forces  of  the  sun,  air  and  rain  and 
by  her  wonderful  alchemical  power  transmute  them 
into  life-force,  the  rose  could  vnot  grow.  In  a  sim- 
ilar manner  a  mother  eats  and  drinks- and  breathes, 
and  by  transmuting  all  the  constituents  of  nour- 
ishment, brings  forth  their  essence  in  the  sustain- 
ing life-force  in  the  milk  with  which  she  feeds 
her  babe. 

The  prophet  Isaiah  says,  "How  beautiful  upon 
the  mountain  are  the  feet  of  him  that  bringeth 
good  tidings,  that  publisheth  peace." x  The  earth 
breathes,  the  mountains  acting  as  her  lungs.  They 
are  upheaved  by  her  efforts  to  throw  off  in  greater 

1  Isaiah,  LII,  7. 


312  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

abundance  the  magnetic  life-force.  While  in  the 
human  body  impurities  are  breathed  out  and  fresh 
air  is  breathed  in,  just  the  opposite  takes  place  in 
the  case  of  the  earth  entity;  impurities  sink  into 
the  earth  and  are  indrawn  and  purified  and  are 
then  breathed  out  as  pure,  magnetic  currents  of 
life-force.  Hence  upon  a  mountain  the  currents 
would  be  felt  most  strongly  and  a  disciple  dwelling 
there,  if  it  all  developed,  would  thus  be  enabled  to 
carry  the  good  tidings  and  publish  peace  with 
greater  power.  It  is  not  mere  elevation  that  per- 
mits this  action  but  the  porosity  and  character  of  the 
rock  formations. 

Each  portion  of  the  earth's  surface  gives  out  its 
particular  and  characteristic  force  which  influences 
not  only  the  climate  and  vegetation  but  also  the 
mentality  and  nervous  system  of  its  inhabitants. 
In  a  general  way  the  force  thrown  out  by  moun- 
tains is  the  masculine  or  Father-force,  correspond- 
ing to  Will.  It  is  a  hardening  force  which  is 
exhilarating  yet  which  makes  for  ruggedness  and 
stability  and  gives  the  power  to  endure.  For  in- 
stance, the  Rocky  Mountains  may  be  considered 
the  backbone  of  this  continent.  They  form  a  great 
wall  or  barrier  which  is  continually  being  strength- 
ened so  that  when  the  cyclic  cataclysms  occur — as 
they  must  not  only  at  the  end  of  the  Root  Race 
(Fifth),  but  also  in  a  minor  degree  at  the  end  of 
its  fifth  sub-race — the  Rockies  will  indeed  be  a  back- 
bone that  shall  preserve  that  portion  of  the  con- 
tinent which  is  destined  to  survive.  Hence,  while 
excellent  for  hardy  pioneer  types,  high,  barren  and 
rugged  mountains  send  out  a  force  which  is  very 
hard  for  a  spiritually  advanced  or  sensitive  person 
to  withstand  or  correlate  with.  Nevertheless  from 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  313 

them  should  be  gained  the  power  to  endure,  the 
power  of  stability  and  perseverance.  Only  those 
advanced  Souls  who  have  mastered  or  correlated 
with  these  forces;  or  persons  whose  centers  are  not 
developed  to  respond  to  them,  can  endure  a  lengthy 
sojourn  in  high  mountains. 

On  the  other  hand  the  characteristic  of  the  sea- 
coast,  especially  in  southern  or  tropical  countries, 
is  the  Mother-force,  the  power  to  bring  forth,  cor- 
responding to  Love.  This  force  is  typified  by  gen- 
tle moist  breezes,  fresh  warm  air  and  golden  sun- 
shine. The  characteristic  of  southern  regions  near 
the  sea  coast  is  growth.  And  just  as  they  produce  pro- 
lific vegetation,  so  will  they  tend  to  bring  forth  in  the 
spiritual  life.  The  dangers  to  be  encountered  and  the 
trials  to  be  met  will  also  be  characteristic  of  these  re- 
gions. Instead  of  the  over-exhilaration  of  the  moun- 
tain regions  there  will  be  a  tendency  to  lassitude  and 
languor  and  to  put  forth  little  effort  toward  the 
spiritual  life.  Instead  of  the  depression  of  rocks 
and  barrenness  there  will  be  the  depressing  influ- 
ence of  fogs,  marshes  and  excessive  rainfall.  The 
daily  trials  will  be  comparable  to  the  many  stinging 
insects,  the  prickly  cactus  and  other  thorny  forms 
of  vegetation.  Moreover,  the  weeds,  i.  e.,  pseudo 
forms  of  occult  or  spiritual  growth,  will  grow  apace 
and  tend  to  choke  out  the  true  seed. 

In  the  air  from  the  mountains  the  Father-force 
predominates,  while  the  air  that  sweeps  across  the 
sea  gathers  up  the  Mother-force  which  has  been 
purified  by  the  action  of  the  salt.  Hence,  from  an 
occult  standpoint,  the  most  favorable  outward  con- 
ditions for  spiritual  growth  should  be  found  in  re- 
gions where  the  breath  of  the  mountains  meets 
that  of  the  sea,  and  far  enough  South  to  avoid  using 


314  The  Voice  of  Isis 

up  a  large  part  of  your  life-forces  overcoming  the 
rigors  of  the  climate. 

You  may  thus  find  an  explanation  of  many  of 
your  trials  in  the  character  of  the  region  you  in- 
habit, for  the  inhabitants  of  a  region  are  subject 
to  the  earth's  Karma  in  that  region.  But  remember 
that  wherever  you  find  yourself  you  are  there  be- 
cause you  need  the  lessons  of  just  those  conditions. 
And  until  you  have  mastered  them,  and  the  Law  in 
a  natural  way  takes  you  elsewhere,  it  is  useless 
to  try  to  escape  them ;  for  if  you  run  away  they 
will  meet  you  in  other  and  perhaps  more  trying 
forms  until  conquered.  Once  understand  what  each 
factor  in  your  environment  corresponds  to  sym- 
bolically in  your  personal  life  and  you  have  the  key 
to  its  mastery.  Just  as  Nature  conquers  and  over- 
comes all  difficulties  arising  from  the  environment 
by  adapting  herself  to  them,  so  must  you.  Each 
region  has  special  advantages  which  compensate 
in  a  measure  for  its  drawbacks.  The  luxuriance  of 
growth  which  is  denied  to  a  rugged  climate  is 
compensated  for  by  the  greater  fragrance  of  its 
flowers,  the  superior  flavor  of  its  fruits  and  the 
greater  energy  of  its  inhabitants.  So  if  your  spirit- 
ual growth  seems  hampered  or  dwarfed  by  an  un- 
congenial environment,  remember  that  you  must  com- 
pensate for  this  lack  by  giving  forth  greater  perfume. 

If  your  conditions  permit  the  development  of 
many  higher  faculties  and  luxuriant  spiritual 
growth,  do  not  forget  to  send  forth  the  subtle  per- 
fume of  love  and  attractiveness  for  which  no  amount 
of  mere  growth,  mere  knowledge,  mere  intellectual 
attainments  can  ever  compensate.  The  perfume  will 
arise  from  your  rose  of  life  in  proportion  as  you 
conquer  the  factors  in  your  life  which  hold  you  back. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  315 

When  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  spake  to  Moses  out 
of  the  burning  bush  he  said  unto  him,  "Put  off  thy 
shoes  from  off  thy  feet,  for  the  place  whereon  thou 
standeth  is  holy  ground."  x  While  this  might  have 
a  literal  meaning  in  connection  with  the  magnetic 
forces  of  that  particular  spot,  it  has  an  inner  sig- 
nificance applicable  to  all  disciples  who  can  hear 
the  Angel  of  the  Lord.  It  refers  to  an  initiation. 
The  "bush"  is  the  same  thing  often  spoken  of  as 
a  Tree,  the  Tree  of  Life,  the  Tree  of  Knowledge 
of  Good  and  Evil,  etc.  The  tree  is  the  spinal  cord, 
whose  sap  is  the  Kundalini  force.  It  is  the  Tree  of 
Life  and  Death,  until,  by  conscious  power,  this 
force  is  lifted  up  and  made  to  function  in  the  cen- 
tral canal  of  the  spinal  cord.  Then  it  becomes  the 
Tree  of  Life  in  the  midst  of  the  Garden.  To  at- 
tempt to  force  the  development  of  this  power  or  to 
strive  to  awaken  it  without  a  personal  teacher  who 
has  mastered  it,  is  to  invite  undreamed  of  disasters 
on  all  planes  and  in  all  bodies.  It  should  develop 
only  as  the  result  of  natural  growth.  The  whole 
story  is  most  simple  if  looked  at  as  an  allegory 
meant  to  symbolize  an  important  initiation. 

We  read  that  "Moses  kept  the  flock,"  and  lead 
them  into  the  desert,  i.  e.,  he  kept  the  flocks  of 
thoughts,  inherited  tendencies,  passions  and  desires, 
the  portion  of  goods  delivered  to  him  by  his  Higher 
Self  to  keep  and  control.  "And  he  led  the  flock 
to  the  backside  of  the  desert  and  came  to  the 
mountain  of  God."  As  all  students,  who  have  truly 
undertaken  to  lead  and  guide  the  flocks  belonging 
to  their  lower  personality,  can  verify,  the  first  effect 
of  the  attempt  at  control  is  to  turn  life  into  a  lone- 
some^ desert.  How  often  do  we  hear  the  student 

1  Exodus  III,  1-5. 


316  The  Voice  of  Isis 

complain  that  this  period  of  sadness  and  depression 
is  as  though  he  were  forsaken  and  left  alone  in  a 
desert!  Just  as  the  shepherd,  alone  in  the  desert, 
must  fight  off  wild  beasts,  shield  his  flock  from  the 
elements,  find  pasturage  for  them  and  keep  them 
from  straying,  so  the  neophyte  must  fight  the  lonely 
battle  with  his  lower  personality  in  this  desert  of 
depression  that  seems  to  have  enwrapped  him.  But 
when  he  reaches  the  darkest  point — the  backside  of 
the  desert — he  finds  the  Mountain  of  God.  He  can 
only  reach  this  Mount  by  fearlessly  entering  the 
desert  and  conquering  its  terrors.  Here  "The 
Angel  of  the  Lord1  appeared  unto  him  in  a  flame  of 
fire  out  of  the  midst  of  a  bush ;  and  he  looked,  and, 
behold,  the  bush  burned  with  fire  and  the  bush 
was  not  consumed."  He  had  met  with  a  realization 
of  the  fire  of  Divine  Love ;  the  sun  of  Righteousness 
had  illumined  his  heart;  he  had  arisen  and  met  the 
Lord.  This  point  is  reached  when  the  pupil  is  able 
to  hear  the  voice  of  the  Master.  When  the  Kunda- 
lini  force  has  passed  up  through  the  spine  and 
touched  the  pineal  gland2 — opened  the  third  eye — 
the  disciple  is  able  to  see  "the  glory  of  the  Lord" 
surrounding  him. 

This  is  a  physical  effect  which  always  accom- 
panies spiritual  illumination  and  is  comparable  to  a 
fire  which  burns  without  consuming.  But  while 
this  is  a  physical  effect  accompanying  illumination, 
remember  it  is  not  the  cause  of  illumination, 
merely  an  effect.  And  out  of  the  midst  of  the 
bush  he  will  hear  the  voice  of  his  Lord.  But  first 
comes  the  summons  "put  off  thy  shoes  from  off  thy 
feet."  As  the  feet  symbolize  spiritual  understand- 

1  The  Angel  of  the  Resurrection. 

2  An  organ  in  the  brain  whose  function  is  unknown  to  physical  sci- 
ence.    It  is  the  organ  of  spiritual  sight. 


The  Voice  of  I  si*  317 

ing,  so  the  shoes  symbolize  a  conception  of  Truth 
which  has  been  moulded  and  adapted  to  the  under- 
standing. Before  the  student  can  receive  spiritual 
illumination  all  old  conceptions  or  coverings  to  his 
understanding  must  be  put  off  or  laid  aside  that 
the  understanding  may  receive  the  Light  direct.  It 
is  not  that  the  old  conceptions  must  be  despised, 
for  we  do  not  despise  our  shoes  when  we  take  them 
off,  but  that  the  understanding  must  be  absolutely 
unhampered  before  spiritual  illumination  can  come. 

The  Law  back  of  this  manifests  equally  in  the  outer 
world.  The  pioneer  in  any  plane  of  activity  must 
turn  aside  from  the  path  marked  out  by  the  dictum 
of  others.  No  doctor,  scientist,  or  explorer  ever 
makes  a  great  discovery  until  he  metaphorically 
puts  off  his  shoes  or  drops  the  limitations  imposed 
by  authority  and  strikes  out  into  the  unknown,  un- 
trammeled  and  free,  even  though  he  reach  his  .start- 
ing point  over  a  beaten  pathway.  When  the  disciple 
does  this  he  has  reached  a  point  where  he  can 
receive  definite  instructions  from  the  Master,  and 
the  operation  of  natural  forces  and  how  to  control 
them  and  correlate  with  them  in  accord  with  the 
divine  Law  of  Harmony,  is  one  of  the  first  lessons 
given. 

Again  we  read,  "He  brought  me  up  also  out  of 
an  horrible  pit,  out  of  the  miry  clay,  and  set  my  feet 
upon  a  rock,  and  established  my  goings."  *  Miry 
clay  being  non-porous,  is  the  least  magnetic,  and 
precludes  the  escape  of  the  life-force  from  the  earth, 
while  rocks,  high  hills  and  mountains  are  distinctly 
advantageous. 

Science  is  beginning  to  discover  that  it  is  the 
earth  itself  that  brings  forth  rather  than  the  rain, 
or  even  the  sun.  They  have  discovered  that  far 

XL,  2. 


318  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

better  crops  can  be  raised  when  the  top  soil  is  kept 
loose  and  pervious  to  the  magnetic  forces.  In  reach- 
ing these  results,  however,  it  has  not  fully  under- 
stood the  cause.  The'  wonderful  results  secured  in 
the  arid  land  of  the  West  without  irrigation,  by  the 
process  called  "dry  farming," 1  is  only  proof  that 
Mother  Earth  holds  within  her  bosom  all  the  nour- 
ishment needed  to  bring  forth  to  perfection,  if  she 
is  given  conditions  under  which  she  can  absorb  the 
Father-force  and  transmute  it  within  her  womb.  In 
the  process  of  dry  farming  the  ground  is  ploughed 
deeply,  the  subsoil  packed  firmly  and  the  surface 
pulverized,  and  kept  loose  and  porous  by  frequent 
harrowing.  Phenomenal  crops  have  been  raised 
where  the  rainfall  was  slight,  and  on  ground  con- 
sidered for  generations  as  arid  and  forever  unpro- 
ductive, owing  to  the  impossibility  of  irrigation. 

Science,  while  obtaining  results,  has  only  partially 
solved  the  problem.  It  is  not  alone  because  this 
method  conserves  the  little  rain  that  falls,  for  that 
of  itself  would  be  inadequate  to  produce  the  won- 
derful crops  obtained.  It  is  because  the  loose,  porous 
soil  permits  the  absorption  and  out-breathing  of  the 
forces  to  go  on  uninterruptedly,  and  the  vital  forces 
from  the  sun,  after  being  fecundated,  can  be  sent 
forth  freely  and  in  abundance.  Those  who  have 
never  investigated  this  new  process  of  farming  will 
marvel  at  the  result,  for  it  is  real  magic,  the  magic 
of  Mother  Earth.  It  is  the  alchemy  of  the  mother 
transmuting  the  sand  of  the  desert  into  gold- 
golden  grain  for  her  children's  sustenance. 

It  is  early  in  the  morning,  just  before  sunrise,  that 
the  magnetic  forces  are  flowing  most  strongly  up- 
ward. This  upward  flow  gradually  decreases  until 

1  See  U.  S.  Experiment  Station  Bulletins  on  "Dry  Land  Farming." 
Cambell's  "Soil  Culture  Manual,"  H.  W.  Cambell,  Lincoln,  Neb. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  319 

at  high  noon  the  forces  are  equalized  and  then  begin 
to  be  indrawn  again ;  the  Mother  is  drinking  in  the 
power  of  her  Lord,  the  Sun.  Precisely  the  same 
action  is  taking  place  at  noon  between  the  earth  and 
the  sun,  as  takes  place  at  the  time  of  union  between 
man  and  woman.  The  Sun  (masculine)  is  giving, 
pouring  out,  and  the  earth  (feminine)  is  receiving 
and  drawing  into  her  womb  the  force  that  shall 
fecundate  and  bring  forth  physical  life.  The  very 
first  step  in  practical  occultism  is  acquiring  a  knowl- 
edge of  how  Mother  Earth  works  her  miracles,  and 
by  what  means  the  Divine  Creative  Force  of  the 
Father  combines  with  and  fructifies  the  force  of  the 
Mother,  for  "As  above,  so  below." 

Since  at  noon  all  the  forces  of  Nature  and  man 
are  focused  on  the  earth-plane  it  is  wisest  to  have 
the  principle  meal  of  the  day  at  noon,  for  then  the 
physical  forces  can  best  transmute  the  food  with  the 
least  drain  upon  or  disturbance  of  the  higher  forces. 

From  the  above  it  is  plain  that  the  student  should 
contact  the  earth  whenever  possible.  But,  alas,  this 
is  not  always  feasible  in  crowded  cities ;  for  the 
pavements,  in  varying  degrees  according  to  their 
formation,  are  obstacles  to  the  passage  of  the  earth- 
forces.  Also  the  leakage  from  gas  mains,  electric 
conduits,  sewers,  etc.,  are  all  deterents.  The  habits 
of  civilization  which  demand  that  the  feet,  created 
to  be  the  natural  absorber  and  transmitter  of  these 
forces,  shall  be  encased  in  tight  impervious  shoes 
also  prevents  contact  with  these  forces.  Shoes  are  a 
necessity  in  cities,  yet  everyone  should  find  time  to 
stand  barefooted  on  the  earth  for  a  few  moments  early 
in  the  morning.1 

1  This  is  not  a  requirement  of  the  Order,  but  is  recommended.  More 
harm  than  good  will  result,  however,  if  practiced  only  intermittently 
on  account  of  the  liability  to  take  cold.  Porous  moccasins  may  be  worn, 
and  even  shoes  if  of  porous  material. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE    LIGHT. 

"And  the  earth  was  without  form,  and  void; 
and  darkness  was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep.  And 
the  Spirit  of  God  moved  upon  the  face  of  the 
waters.  And  God  said,  Let  there  be  light:  and 
there  was  light." — Genesis  I.,  2-3. 

"Fix  they  Soul's  gaze  upon  the  star  whose  ray 
thou  art,  the  flaming  star  that  shines  within  the 
lightless  depths  of  ever-being,  the  boundless  fields 
of  the  unknown." — The  Voice  of  the  Silence, 
B'nvatsky,  Fragment  II. 

In  The  Voice  of  the  Silence  we  read  of  four  periods, 
called  "modes  of  Truth,"  l  through  which  the  Candi- 
date for  discipleship  must  pass  ere  his  feet  can  be  truly 
planted  upon  the  Path.  Until  he  awakens  to  the  desira- 
bility of  the  spiritual  life  and  has  heard  the  Voice  of 
the  Divine  in  his  heart,  the  candidate  is  passing  through 
the  first  period,  called  in  the  Hindu  Ku  or  the  assem- 
bling of  misery,  or  walking  in  darkness.  When  his 
gaze  is  turned  toward  the  Star  of  Initiation  he  calls 
down  upon  himself  more  rapidly  his  past  Karma. 
This  period  is  called  Tu  or  the  assembling  of  tempta- 
tions. In  the  third  period  he  meets  and  conquers  all 
temptations  and  wipes  out  all  old  karmic  debts,  which 
period  is  called  Mu,  the  destruction  of  temptations. 
And  only  in  the  fourth  period,  called  Tau,  does  he 
consciously  enter  upon  the  Path. 

Just  as  the  candidate  requires  four  periods  of  crea- 
tion through  which  he  must  pass  ere  he  can  create  for 
himself  a  new  life  and  a  new  world  (his  Path),  so  in 

1  "Ku,    suffering   or    misery;    Tu,    the    assembling    of    temptations;    Mu. 
their  destruction:   and  Tau,  the  Path,"  p.  21, 


The  Voice  of  Isis  321 

the  creation  of  a  planet  there  are  four  days  or  periods 
in  which  there  is  a  completion  of  mere  earth  condi- 
tions (the  Path  of  the  planet)  preparatory  to  the  real 
purpose  of  evolution,  which  is  to  prepare  a  field  (the 
Path)  for  the  continued  evolution  of  mankind. 

The  first  creation  is  that  of  light,  symbolizing  the 
light  of  The  Christos  which  breaks  into  the  darkness 
of  man's  ignorance  and  sin  and  turns  his  attention  to- 
ward a  higher  life.  This  light  perceived  in  his  heart  is 
called  the  Star  of  Initiation  because  the  first  glimpse  of 
its  glory  initiates  him  into  a  new  world,  and  the  memory 
of  that  flash  leaves  him  no  peace  until  he  seeks  its 
source.  This  Light  shines  in  the  darkness  of  the  un- 
awakened  Soul  and  the  darkness  comprehendeth  it 
not;  it  moves  like  the  Spirit  of  God  over  the  face  of 
the  restless  waters  of  humanity  and  awakens  to  life 
that  which  is  latent  therein.  The  darkness  is  pregnant 
with  the  potencies  of  all  things,  both  good  and  evil, 
which  at  the  breaking  forth  of  the  light  become 
energized  with  new  life  and  begin  their  slow  evolution 
toward  perfection.  As  with  the  earth  when  God  said, 
"Let  there  be  light,"  so  with  the  candidate.  The 
instant  he  perceives  the  light  of  The  Christ  within, 
every  hidden  thing  within  him  is  energized  and  awak- 
ened to  activity;  for  only  by  this  fermentation  can 
the  evil  be  transmuted  and  evolve  into  good. 

In  the  second  period  is  created  a  firmament  and 
the  waters  are  separated  from  the  waters.  In  the  life 
of  the  candidate  this  period  is  passed  in  learning  to 
separate  his  higher  from  his  lower  nature ;  in  learning 
to  separate  the  desires  (symbolized  by  water — illusion) 
which  drag  him  down  from  those  which  tend  toward 
the  higher  life.  By  this  separation  he  creates  for 
himself  a  positive  ideal  toward  which  to  strive 
(heaven)  and  recognizes  the  overshadowing  of  his 


322  The  Voice  of  Isis 

Higher  Self  (the  firmament).  The  acquired  meaning 
of  the  word  firmament  is  to  make  firm,  the  true 
meaning  being  an  expanse  or  the  circle  within  which 
a  definite  creation  takes  place.  In  the  second  period 
the  candidate  creates  for  himself  a  definite  circle  or 
defines  the  limits  of  his  spiritual  aura  within  which 
must  evolve  his  spiritual  body,  just  as  the  earth 
evolves  within  its  firmament  or  the  limits  of  its 
auric  zone.1 

In  the  third  period  the  dry  land,  the  seas  and  all 
vegetation  producing  seed  after  its  kind  is  created. 
In  the  candidate  this  is  the  period  in  which  he 
brings  forth  and  conquers  his  lower  nature.  He 
here  gains  the  power  of  standing  on  a  firm  foun- 
dation (the  dry  land)  and  separating  from  this  all 
that  is  illusory  (the  sea).  He  deliberately  plants, 
and  by  the  power  of  the  Divine  Will,  brings  forth 
such  seeds  as  he  chooses.  Only  when  this  is  accom- 
plished to  a  greater  or  lesser  degree  can  he  really 
enter  the  Path  itself.  Only  when  he  has  grasped 
enough  of  the  philosophy  of  the  workings  of  the 
Divine  Law  to  give  him  a  reason  for  the  faith  that 
is  within  him,  a  reason  that  cannot  be  shaken  by 
doubts  or  sophistries,  can  he  have  a  firm  foundation 
upon  which  to  stand. 

Each  pupil  is  passing  through  one  of  these  periods 
of  creation,  but  only  when  he  has  reached  the  fourth 
has  he  really  created  the  Path.  In  ancient  Temples 
the  sacred  shrine  was  approached  by  seven  steps, 
the  fourth  of  which  was  a  broad  terrace  upon  which 
most  of  the  ceremonies  took  place.  Only  the  few 
initiated  priests  and  priestesses  were  permitted  to 
ascend  the  higher  steps ;  for  the  fourth  step  symbolized 
the  Path  and  only  those  who  had  conquered  the 

1  See  the  meaning  of  the  circle  in  Chapter  XXXIV. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  323 

steps  of  approach  and  had  created  the  Path  could 
go  higher.  Some  of  you  have  reached  this  fourth 
step  or  period,  while  most  of  you  are  struggling 
upon  one  of  the  three  lower,  still  assembling  the 
various  trials  and  temptations  which  must  be  met 
and  conquered  ere  the  Path  is  entered. 

The  trials  that  come  to  you  are  more  than  mere 
tests.  When  the  gods  said,  "Let  there  be  light" 
the  light  began  to  penetrate  into  the  darkness — 
the  cast-off  matter  of  a  previous  world  period,  all 
that  had  not  been  transmuted  into  good.  This  is 
the  outer  darkness  into  which  the  unprofitable 
servant  is  cast,1  which  simply  means  that  all  the 
matter  which  should  be  the  servant  of  its  Lord 
(The  Christ),  but  which  fails  to  respond  during 
one  period  of  manifestation,  must  pass  through 
a  period  of  outer  darkness  or  lie  in  the  grave  until 
the  resurrection  or  the  dawn  of  the  next  Manvan- 
tara.2  In  many  respects  the  darkness  might  be 
compared  to  a  compost  heap  into  which  all  refuse, 
effete  and  unusable  matter  is  cast,  there  to  ferment 
in  darkness  until  the  next  springtime  when  it  can 
be  spread  upon  the  earth  and  its  life-force,  trans- 
muted by  the  powers  of  the  elements,  can  be 
utilized  to  bring  forth  flowers,  fruits  and  grains 
for  the  service  and  sustenance  of  man.  This  accu- 
mulated mass  is  darkness  because  it  is  composed 
of  dead  matter,  incapable  of  reflecting  light.  In 
the  same  way  the  candidate  in  his  past  lives  has 
left  a  trail  of  darkness  composed  of  effete  emana- 
tions which  he  has  failed  to  redeem.  This  is  often 
poetically  alluded  to  as  the  trail  of  the  serpent.  In 
The  Voice  of  The  Silence,  "It  is  the  shadow  of  thyself 

1  St.  Matthew  XXV,  30. 

*  A  day  period  of  the  world  as  contrasted  with  a  night  period  or 
PraJaya. 


324  The  Voice  of  Isis 

outside  the  Path,  cast  on  the  darkness  of  thy  sins." 
Like  the  darkness  of  Chaos,  it  is  pregnant  with  the 
germs  of  that  which  must  ultimately  come  into  the 
light  and  be  redeemed  by  its  creator,  i.  e.,  be  trans- 
muted into  force  that  shall  bring  forth  life  more 
abundantly. 

It  was  only  in  the  fourth  day  that  the  path  of  the 
earth's  evolution  was  really  entered  upon,  i.  e.,  when 
the  greater  and  lesser  lights,  the  stars,  the  days  and 
nights,  the  times  and  seasons  were  created.  Only 
when  this  period  was  reached  was  the  earth  ready  for 
the  evolution  brought  over  from  a  past  world  period 
to  continue. 

The  loathsome,  creeping  things  of  the  darkness  were 
not  created  by  the  Light,  but  were  all  in  the  darkness 
simply  awaiting  the  energerizing  force  of  the  Light 
to  quicken  them.  The  Light  was  sent  into  the  dark- 
ness not  to  stir  up  evil,  but  by  the  Omniscient  Law, 
which  recognizes  that  only  by  fulfilling  its  destiny  can 
evil  be  transmuted  into  good.  The  evil  weeds  must 
grow,  be  uprooted,  die  and  give  their  life-force  back  to 
the  soil  ere  their  power  can  manifest  as  food  for  man. 
So  with  the  candidate.  He  must  penetrate  the  darkest 
depths  of  his  being  and  not  deny,  but  face  and  recog- 
nize all  he  finds  therein  ere  he  can  conquer.  This  he 
does  through  the  divine  power  of  The  Christ  when  he 
says,  "Let  there  be  light."  There  is  then  created  in  him 
two  great  lights,  the  masculine  force  of  the  sun  and  the 
feminine  force  of  the  moon,  the  greater  to  rule  the  day, 
the  lesser  the  night.  The  sun-force  is  the  masculine 
quality  of  reason  which  gives  him  light,  courage  and 
power  to  grapple  with  the  temptations  and  problems 
of  his  everyday  life,  while  the  moon-force — lesser  only 
in  that  it  is  less  apparent — is  the  Intuition  which  will 
illumine  his  darkest  night  and  give  him  the  power  to 
understand  the  forces  of  his  inner  nature. 


The  Voice  of  his  325 

The  instant  the  Star  of  Initiation  sends  down  this 
two-fold  ray  into  the  darkness  of  his  earth  life,  every 
creeping  thing,  not  only  in  his  heart,  but  also  in  his 
environment,  comes  forth.  The  instant  he  speaks  the 
Word  all  this  darkness  filled  with  thought-currents  of 
evil — powerful,  malignant,  deadly  beyond  description, 
but  heretofore  inert,  asleep,  quiescent — will  be  stirred 
into  life,  in  this  way  precipitating  his  Karma  upon 
him.  In  the  creation  of  the  earth  it  was  the  assembled 
gods  (the  Elohim)  who  spake,  the  word,  "Let  there 
be  light,"  and  the  chaotic  mass  out  of  which  the  new 
world  was  to  evolve  began  its  evolution.  It  was  the 
off-scourings,  that  which  They  themselves  had  left 
behind  when  They  reached  Godhood  in  previous  world 
periods,  and  consequently  it  was  Their  own  creation 
and  Theirs  to  redeem.  So  with  the  candidate.  The 
darkness,  the  evil,  the  temptations  that  assail  him  are 
his  own.  He  has  created  them  in  ages  past.  And 
when  he  comes  to  this  conscious  step  where,  of  his 
own  free-will,  he  determines  to  create  his  Immortal 
Body,  all  this  left  over  material  must  be  purified  and 
redeemed ;  for  only  out  of  it  can  he  build  his  Immortal 
Habitation. 

Try  to  think  of  a  God  Consciousness  so  comprehend- 
ing this  law  and  so  recognizing  the  needs  of  the  crea- 
tures of  the  darkness  and  so  filled  with  the  determina- 
tion to  bring  good  out  of  evil  that,  in  speaking  the 
Word,  the  full  comprehension  of  all  the  steps  of  the 
evolution  of  the  chaotic  darkness,  with  the  attendant 
suffering  and  misery  through  which  it  must  pass  as 
a  result  of  the  purifying  process,  was  fully  grasped. 
Moreover,  having  the  consciousness  that  the  light  He 
was  sending  into  the  darkness  was  His  very  Self,  His 
consciousness,  His  Soul-substance,  and  that  all  the 
sin  and  suffering  that  man  would  pass  through  on  the 
road  to  redemption  would  be  His  own;  that  every 


326  The  Voice  of  Isis 

pang  must  be  suffered  with  a  God-like  power  to  under- 
stand its  keenest  bitterness,  still,  in  divine  compassion, 
seeing  the  end  from  the  beginning  would  neverthe- 
less speak  the  Word  unfalteringly,  and  in  speaking 
it  take  upon  Himself  the  whole  burden  of  the  trans- 
mutation of  the  evil  into  good.  This  is  the  true  mean- 
ing of  redemption  through  love.  For  the  world  was 
not  redeemed  by  the  crucifixion  of  one  man — however 
much  that  man  manifested  The  Christ,  and  however 
much  of  the  darkness  was  redeemed  thereby.  It  is 
by  the  daily  and  hourly  crucifixion  of  the  conscious 
power  of  the  Godhead  (The  Christ)  in  matter,  the 
living  in  the  darkness  and  suffering  with  it  until,  atom 
by  atom,  the  whole  is  transmuted  by  His  life-force 
(the  symbolic  "blood,")  that  the  redemption  of  the 
world  is  accomplished.  Every  earnest  Soul  who  recog- 
nizes this  principle  and  takes  upon  himself  the  redemp- 
tion of  his  own  creations  thus  becomes  a  redeemer 
to  that  extent,  and  releases  The  Christ  from  the  cross 
through  the  crucifixion  of  his  own  personality. 

Do  not  think  of  The  Christ  as  an  impersonal  force, 
a  mere  law  of  action,  but  as  the  full  consciousness 
of  the  Godhead  which  is  literally  "wounded  for  our 
transgressions,  he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities :  the 
chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  him ;  and  with 
his  stripes  are  we  healed,"1  for  "In  him  (The  Christ) 
dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily."  Some 
conception  of  this  divine  sacrifice  must  penetrate  the 
consciousness  of  every  sincere  follower  of  the  Light, 
and  in  a  lesser  sense  he  must  have  the  same  willing- 
ness to  suffer  and  endure  with  and  through  his  crea- 
tions— and  for  the  same  reason,  i.  e.,  that  Divine 
Compassion  which  "would  not  that  any  perish,  but 
all  have  eternal  life."  This  is  an  effort  to  make  your 
finite  minds  grasp  an  infinite  reality,  but  at  least  a 

*  Isaiah  LIII,   5. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  327 

faint  conception  of  this  Infinite  Love  and  Compassion 
and  yearning  to  create  and  redeem  must  be  grasped 
ere  the  candidate  can  hope  to  set  foot  upon  the  Path. 
For  this  thought  is  the  illumination  given  by  the  Star 
of  Initiation  or  the  Light  shining  in  the  darkness. 
Only  the  light  of  this  star  or  this  Divine  Love  can 
give  him  strength  to  brave  "the  lions  in  the  way." 
The  vision  of  the  Light  may  be  but  a  fleeting  glimpse, 
but  it  will  awaken  within  him  a  response  that  will 
forever  urge  him  on  until  victory  is  attained. 

If  you  carry  this  lesson  into  your  own  lives  you  will 
see  why  so  many  undreamed  of  trials  and  temptations 
are  the  first  result  of  your  determination  to  lead  a 
spiritual  life.  The  more  powerful  the  Light,  the 
more  earnestly  you  determine  to  lay  every  corner  of 
your  life  open  to  it,  the  more  you  let  the  Light  shine 
out  into  the  darkness  of  surrounding  conditions,  the 
more  will  the  germs  of  unsuspected  traits  and  tempta- 
tions awaken  to  life  and  assail  you  and  evil  conditions 
surround  you,  conditions  of  sickness,  poverty,  lack 
of  love  and  appreciation  and  many  other  adverse 
things.  These  conditions  do  not  come  to  you  to  hurt 
you,  nor  are  they  sent  by  any  great  Being  who  desires 
to  see  you  squirm — as  a  scientist  might  impale  a 
beetle  on  a  pin  or  cut  out  a  frog's  heart  to  see  how 
long  it  would  beat — but  they  come  to  you,  their  cre- 
ator, to  be  redeemed  because  they  were  latent  in  your 
personality,  and  the  first  beams  of  The  Christ-star 
penetrating  the  darkness  awakened  them  to  life.  They 
are  not  sent  to  see  you  prove  your  strength  by  con- 
quering them,  although  you  grow  stronger  with 
everything  you  conquer,  but  they  are  the  denizens  of 
your  deep,  creatures  of  your  own  past  evil  thoughts ; 
the  devils  which  behold  The  Christ  (the  Light)  and 
tremble.  The  word  tremble  is  not  used  here  with  the 


328  The  Voice  of  Isis 

idea  of  fear,  but  with  the  idea  of  quivering  with  the 
vibrations  of  the  new  life  as  it  imparts  a  higher  rate 
of  vibration  to  the  latent  substance  of  evil.  Hence  a 
recognition  of  this  fact  and  a  determination  to  re- 
deem all  by  the  power  of  The  Christ  will  transmute 
it  into  good. 

Therefore  do  not  be  surprised  if  things  assail  you 
more  than  formerly.  Do  not  expect  that  seeking 
for  Spiritual  Wisdom  will  make  life  easy  or  will 
mean  that  all  your  trials  are  over.  Do  not  seek  The 
Christ-life  for  the  purpose  of  making  your  pathway 
in  life  smooth,  your  body  free  from  disease  or  your 
environment  free  from  inharmony  and  trial,  for  if 
you  seek  it  for  this  purpose  know  well  that  you 
have  not  really  spoken  the  creative  Word  and  must 
reap  bitter  disappointment.  These  things  must  come, 
but  if  you  are  strong  and  determined  and  earnest 
and  fearless,  and  keep  on  crying,  'Let  there  be  light/' 
you  will  have  the  power  of  the  Light  to  pass  this 
step;  for  this  step  is  the  destruction  or  transmuta- 
tion of  all  temptations  into  the  strength  necessary 
to  enter  consciously  into  the  Path. 

Take  courage.  Never  say,  "I  cannot,"  for  by  the 
power  of  The  Christ  within  you  can.  There  is 
nothing  in  yourself  or  your  environment  that  you 
cannot  transmute  into  good,  for  all  constitute  the 
"worldly  goods"  given  you  by  your  Father-in-heaven, 
out  of  which  you  must  create  your  Immortal  Hab- 
itation. Whatsoever  you  put  behind  you  and  say 
you  cannot  conquer  today,  must  pass  into  the  outer 
darkness  (outer,  in  that  it  is  out  of  your  present 
life),  there  to  remain  until  you  are  strong  enough 
once  more  to  take  it  up  and  redeem  it. 

Your  loving  Father  will  help  you.  In  tenderest  pity 
he  sees  your  struggles  and  your  despair.  But  if  you  give 


The  Voice  of  Isis  329 

up  and  cry  "I  cannot,"  then,  in  mercy,  you  are  lifted 
out  of  the  Path  and  another  night's  sleep  is  given  you  in 
which  to  gather  strength — you  must  await  the  light 
of  another  day.  For,  know  well  that  you  must  come 
again  and  take  up  the  task  again  and  again  until  all  is 
redeemed. 

It  is  often  remarked  that  many  reach  a  certain  point 
of  development  and  then  apparently  fall  back.  This 
means  that  they  have  failed  in  some  important  task 
and  are  awaiting  the  coming  of  a  new  day  period. 
But  "the  enemies  he  slew  in  the  last  battle  will  not 
return  to  life  in  the  next  birth  that  will  be  his." 

Fear  not.  Go  forward,  even  though  the  darkness 
be  full  of  life.  "If  thou  wouldst  not  be  slain  by 
them,  then  must  thou  harmless  make  thy  own  crea- 
tions, the  children  of  thy  thoughts,  unseen,  impal- 
pable, that  swarm  around  humankind,  the  progeny 
and  heirs  to  man  and  his  terrestrial  spoils."  1  But 
if  thou  "Fix  thy  Soul's  gaze  upon  the  star  whose 
ray  thou  art,"  it  will  lead  thee  into  the  Path. 

Be  not  discouraged,  for  you  are  able  and  strong. 
You  shall  come  forth  victorious,  but  ask  not  that  one 
drop  of  bitterness  pass  until  all  is  transmuted ;  until 
you  have  drained  the  cup,  and  in  its  dregs  have 
found  the  Jewel  of  Great  Price,  for  which  a  man  will 
sell  all  that  he  hath  to  possess.  Keep  on  crying, 
"Let  there  be  light."  Create  and  redeem.  For 
thereby  shall  you  pass  through  the  fifth  and  sixth 
periods  and  shall  come  to  the  seventh,  when  ye 
shall  rest  from  your  labors  and  the  God  Within 
shall  see  His  creations  and  pronounce  them  good. 

Just  as  this  is  true  of  each  individual,  so  is  it 
true  of  this  Movement.  And  as  a  Movement  it 
must  pass  through  the  same  periods  or  stages.  The 
trumpet  blast  has  gone  forth,  "Let  there  be  light!" 

1  The  Voice  of  the  Silence,  Blavatsky,  Fragment  III. 


330  The  Voice  of  Isis 

and  all  the  hosts  of  evil  are  stirring  into  activity 
at  the  sound.  The  Movement  must  be  created  by 
the  united  effort  of  every  candidate,  for  each  is  in- 
dividually responsible  for  its  success.  "Wherefore 
take  unto  you  the  whole  armour  of  God,  that  ye 
may  be  able  to  withstand  in  the  evil  day,  and  hav- 
ing done  all,  to  stand  .  .  .  and  above  all,  taking 
the  shield  of  faith,  wherewith  ye  shall  be  able  to 
quench  all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  wicked."  x 

1  Ephesians  VI,  13-16. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  TWO   TABLES   OF   STONE. 

"And  he  gave  unto  Moses,  when  he  had  made 
an  end  of  communing  with  him  upon  Mount  Sinai, 
two  tables  of  testimony,  tables  of  stone,  written 
with  the  finger  of  God"— Exodus,  XXXI-18. 

"Therefor,  the  Kabalists  say  correctly  that  'Man 
becomes  a  stone,  a  plant,  an  animal,  a  man,  a 
spirit,  and  finally  God/  thus  accomplishing  his 
cycle  or  circuit  and  returning  to  the  point  from 
which  he  started  as  the  Heavenly  Alan.  The 
Secret  Doctrine,"  Blavasky,  Vol.  II,  196. 

The  great  Law  of  the  Universe,  that  which  mani- 
fests forever  in  man,  atom  and  world  as  the  law  of 
spiritual  evolution,  works  forever  onward  and  up- 
ward toward  more  perfect  manifestations.  This 
freat  Law,  or  the  Flame  of  Divine  Love  burns 
Drever,  sending  out  its  light,  its  sparks  and  its 
fire-mist,  which,  cooling  gradually,  condenses  into 
ethereal  and  later  into  what  we  know  as  dense  mat- 
ter, producing  the  physical  aspect  of  planets,  crea- 
tures, men.  The  law  under  which  this  force  of 
Divine  Love  operates  is  unchangeable,  but  its  mani- 
festations in  any  system  of  worlds  are  guided  and 
varied  by  the  Planetary  Deities  or  the  Divine  Intel- 
ligences ruling  the  planets  composing  the  system. 
In  our  solar  system  these  great  Beings  are  called, 
in  the  Bible,  the  Archangels  or  the  Elohim1  and  in 
the  Eastern  teachings,  the  Rishies. 

This  earth  is  the  culminating  point  of  this  system, 
but  in  some  respects  the  least  evolved.  It  is  the 
point  of  greatest  descent,  the  lowest  arc  of  outward 

i  Note  use  of  the  plural  in  Genesis  iii,  22. 


332  The  Voice  of  Isis 

ongoing,  where,  having  reached  its  lowest  mani- 
festation in  matter,  the  Law  must  turn  and  evolve 
upward.  Ere  the  Law  can  gather  up  the  forces  of 
the  other  six  planets,  complete  the  last  note  in  the 
octave  of  this  solar  system  and  make  it  the  first 
note  of  a  higher  octave  of  planetary  manifestation, 
there  must  be  a  great  testing  and  balancing,  both 
of  its  inhabitants  and  of  the  planet  as  a  whole. 

In  the  foundation  of  this  solar  system  it  was  the 
force  of  Saturn — as  Lucifer,  Star  of  the  Morning — 
that  was  the  first  to  emanate  from  the  symbolic 
dot  in  the  circle  and  expand  into  the  circle  itself, 
or  the  limits  of  manifestation  during  this  great 
cycle ;  the  circumference  of  which  God  is  the  center. 
His  is  the  force  of  inertia,  of  stability,  of  perfect 
balance  of  the  positive  and  negative  forces,  without 
which  a  cosmic  center  could  not  manifest  in  matter; 
without  which  the  other  planetary  forces  could  not 
act;  and  as  Cronus  the  Reaper  his  force  will  be  the 
last  to  be  withdrawn  or  return  to  the  bosom  of  the 
Infinite.  It  is  Saturn  who  says:  "I  am  Alpha  and 
Omega,  the  beginning  and  the  end,  the  first  and 
the  last."  x  In  the  book  of  Harmes  we  read :  "Among 
the  Gods  is  none  like  unto  him,  into  whose  hand 
are  committed  the  kingdoms,  the  power  and  the 
glory  of  the  worlds.  .  .  .  Many  names  hath  God 
given  him,  names  of  mystery,  secret  and  terrible. 
God  calleth  him  Satan  the  Adversary,  because  Matter 
opposeth  Spirit,  and  Time  accuseth  even  the  saints 
of  the  Lord.  .  .  .  For  Satan  is  the  magistrate  of 
the  Justice  of  God  (Karma)  :  he  beareth  the  balance 
and  the  sword.  .  .  .  Therefore  Satan  is  the  Min- 
ister of  God,  Lord  of  the  seven  mansions  of  Hades 
( matter,  our  earth),  the  Angel  of  the  manifested 

1  Revelation  XXII,  13. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  333 

worlds."  1  As  the  Great  Tester2  and  Initiator,  Saturn 
initiated  man  into  the  mystery  of  the  power  to 
create,  by  the  right  use  of  which  he  shall  eat  of 
the  Tree  of  Immortal  Life  and  became  as  the  gods.3 
It  is  the  perfect  balancing  of  its  positive  and  nega- 
tive manifestations  and  the  right  use  of  this  godlike 
power  to  create  that  is  the  great  test  of  mankind. 
Upon  the  mastering  of  this  problem  the  fate  of  this 
planet  depends.  "Thus  'Satan,'  .  .  .  grows  into 
the  grandiose  image  of  one  who  makes  of  a  terres- 
trial, a  divine  Man;  who  gives  him,  throughout  the 
long  cycle  of  Mahakalpa,  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of 
Life,  and  makes  him  free  from  the  Sin  of  Ignorance, 
hence  of  Death."  4 

Saturn,  then,  is  one  of  the  Elohim  who  "falls"  5 
from  heaven  to  take  charge  of  the  evolution  of  man 
on  this  lowest  planet,  the  densest  field  of  manifesta- 
tion He  it  is  who  becomes  the  Law-giver,  he 
who  writes  "with  the  finger  of  God"  the  great  Law 
of  Divine  Love  upon  the  two  tables  of  stone,  or 
man  and  woman,  now  for  the  first  time  manifesting 
in  separate,  dense,  physical  bodies.  He  stands  upon 
the  top  of  Mount  Meru  or  Mount  Sinai,  the  moun- 
tain of  the  gods,  and  delivers  to  man  the  Law. 
Those  who  can  behold  him  see  that  his  countenance 
—as  Lucifer,  Son  of  the  Morning,  the  Herald  of  a 
new  day — shines  with  the  light  of  Divinity,  but  for 
the  multitude  he  is  hidden  by  the  devouring  fire  and 
the  clouds  of  smoke  and  they  know  him  only  as 
the  Tester,  the  Adversary.  For  the  enlightened  he 
is  the  Fire  of  the  Lord ;  for  the  multitude,  the  cloud 
upon  the  mountain.  This  same  idea  is  symbolized 

1  Quoted  in   The  Perfect   Way,   King^ford    Appendix   XV. 

'Job,  chapter  I. 

3  Genesis,  III,  22. 

«  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky,  Vol.  I,  220. 

5  Isaiah,  XIV,   12. 


334  The  Voice  of  Isis 

in  the  Bible  by  Moses  receiving  the  Law  on  Mount 
Sinai,  Mount  Sin,  the  Mount  of  the  Moon,  or  gen- 
eration and  regeneration.  "The  numbers  of  the 
name  'Moses'  (345)  are  those  of  1  Am  That  I  Am,' 
(543),  so  that  Moses  and  Jehovah  are  at  one  in 
numerical  harmony." 1  But  the  numbers  are  re- 
versed, hence  Moses  is  but  the  reflection  on  earth  of 
the  Law-giver  on  high.  Therefore,  I  Am  That  I 
Am,  Moses,  Mikael-Jehovah,  the  tribal  god  of  the 
Hebrews,  and  Satan  or  Saturn  are  all  symbols  of 
varying  aspects  of  the  one  great  Law-giver. 

In  all  philosophies  and  scriptures  we  find  the  term 
"stone"  used  not  in  a  literal,  but  in  a  mystical  sense. 
One  fundamental  meaning  of  this  symbol  is  that 
power  or  force  which  is  the  foundation  of  man's 
manifested  existence.  Man  is  symbolized  by  a  stone 
because  here  on  this  lowest  of  the  planets  he  has 
reached  his  densest  expression  or  state  of  con- 
sciousness, a  state  so  dense — from  the  viewpoint  of 
his  Divine  Consciousness — that  it  is  like  that  of  a 
stone  as  compared  with  man.  The  old  Alchemists 
also  used  the  term  "stone"  in  a  symbolic  way.  One 
meaning  of  the  Philosopher's  Stone,  the  Alkahest 
or  Elixir  of  Life  is  the  perfect  blending  of  the  mas- 
culine and  feminine  forces  or  the  transmutation  of 
the  base  principles  into  a  perfect  harmony  which 
turns  everything  it  touches  into  pure  spiritual  gold. 

Only  when  man  had  reached  the  point  of  densest 
materiality  did  the  Great  Law,  working  through 
Saturn  or  Mikael-Jehovah,  make  it  possible  for  him 
to  manifest  this  foundation  stone  of  his  spiritual 
evolution  upon  two  separate  tables.  Hitherto  man 
had  been  androgynous  and  ethereal,  but  because  he 
had  reached  his  densest  state  it  was  necessary  that 
this  "stone"  be  broken  or  that  the  positive  and 

1  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Vol.   11-568. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  335 

negative  aspects  of  the  creative  force  be  separated 
in  order  to  manifest  in  physical  matter.  For  the 
dense  animal  bodies  of  the  first  physical  race1  (the 
Third  Race)  were  able  to  manifest  only  the  lower 
aspect  of  the  positive  force  and  were  utterly  unable 
to  manifest  the  negative  or  feminine  force. 

The  perfect  balancing  of  these  two  forces — which 
Saturn  demands  before  the  Soul,  on  its  return  jour- 
ney, can  reach  its  Father's  house — is  the  great  task 
which  humanity  must  fulfill  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 
But  it  can  t>e  fulfilled  only  when  the  two  tables  of 
stone  become  one.  The  positive  aspect  of  the  Law 
is  written  upon  the  masculine  table  in  positive, 
raised  letters.  This  table  has  been  set  up  in  the 
market-place  and  its  laws  have  dominated  the  world. 
The  negative  aspect  is  graven  deep  into  the  feminine 
table  and  its  markings  have  been  filled  with  the 
mire  and  filth  of  man's  lusts,  so  that  for  ages  he  has 
been  unable  to  read  the  writing  and  has  imagined 
that  the  Law  was  written  only  on  his  own  table  and 
that  the  feminine  table  was  a  blank  given  to  him 
as  a  toy,  upon  which,  with  his  soiled  and  clumsy 
finger,  he  could  trace  whatever  characters  he  de- 
sired. Sometimes  he  has  striven  to  write  beautiful 
eulogies,  but  in  most  cases  lust  and  dominion  have 
been  his  themes.  And  so  through  all  the  Dark 
Ages  of  man's  mentality  the  idea  prevailed  that 
this  feminine  stone  was  man's,  to  use  as  he  would. 
But  the  fires  of  suffering  into  which  man  has  cast 
the  negative  stone  is  purifying  its  clay  and  is  burn- 
ing the  divine  characters  into  her  Soul  so  that 
she  knows  the  law  of  her  being  is  Divine  and  is  per- 
verted only  by  man's  refusal  to  recognize  the  writ 
ing  and  give  her  her  true  place  by  his  side. 

1  The  first  two  Races  were  ethereal,  not  physical. 


336  The  Voice  of  Isis 

In  the  Bible  we  read  of  the  stone  that  was  rejected 
by  the  builders,  but  which,  through  the  power  of 
The  Christ  is  to  become  the  chief  stone  of  the  corner. 
But  this  mystic  stone  can  not  be  perfected  and 
become  the  cornerstone  of  the  Temple  of  the  New 
Humanity  until  its  two  halves  are  united,  until  the 
positive  letters  of  the  one  fit  into  the  negative 
characters  of  the  other  and  the  two  are  fused  into 
one  through  the  power  of  The  Christ.  Until  this 
cycle  in  the  world's  history  every  system  of  religion 
and  exoteric  philosophy  has  rejected  the  feminine 
stone  and  either  taught  the  absolute  separation  of 
the  sexes — segregating  women  in  convents  and  men 
in  monasteries — or  has  in  some  way  rejected  woman 
and  forced  the  stones  to  remain  separate,  even  to  the 
extent  of  denying  to  woman  a  Soul  and  barring  her 
from  Paradise  except  to  minister  to  man's  desires. 
The  day  of  the  fulfillment  of  the  prophecy  is  now 
dawning,  and  those  who  can  grasp  the  significance 
of  the  blending  of  the  two  tables  of  the  Law  have 
a  great  work  to  do,  that  the  coming  sixth  sub-race 
may  lay  this  chief  cornerstone,  upon  which  alone 
the  Temple  of  Humanity  can  be  erected  by  the 
Sixth  and  Seventh  Great  Races. 

Humanity  is  facing  its  great  Initiation.  Mikael- 
Moses  has  brought  down  the  two  tables  of  stone. 
And  it  must  be  you,  if  you  are  ready  with  clean 
hands  and  a  pure  heart,  who  must  set  up  these  tables 
in  the  Holy  of  Holies,  instead  of  the  market-place, 
and  read  out  of  them  the  Law  to  the  children  of 
earth  who  are  so  eagerly  waiting  to  learn.  Indi- 
vidually, at  the  very  entrance  to  the  Path  back  to 
Eden,  there  confronts  you  the  Angel  of  the  Flaming 
Sword,  Mikael,  the  great  Regent  of  Saturn,  with 
the  two  tables  of  the  Law.  He  gives  them  to  you 


The  Voice  of  Isis  337 

saying:  "This  is  the  Law;  this  the  problem.  Learn 
ye  it.  Work  it  out  and  teach  it  to  the  children  of 
earth."  Why  is  it  such  an  enigma?  Why  must 
the  cloud  and  the  burning  of  the  mountain  hide 
him  from  your  sight?  Why  do  you  let  the  world 
go  on  worshiping  the  golden  calf,  leaving  the  great 
problem  of  the  Law  to  be  solved  by  the  few  who 
are  unafraid  and  who  are  willing  to  climb  the  Mount 
of  Attainment  and  receive  their  great  test  ? 

The  children  of  earth  are  making  mock,  are  degrading 
themselves  and  burying  the  Law  beneath  the  hor- 
rible mire  of  their  own  sensuality,  because  they 
will  not  read  it  from  its  two  tables.  Again  and  again 
have  the  Prophets  of  the  Lord  sought  to  bring  the 
Law  before  the  multitude.  And  many  sincere  teach- 
ers who  have  led  their  followers  out  of  the  dark- 
ness of  Egypt,  after  wandering  many  years  in  the 
wilderness  and  laboriously  climbing  the  mountain 
and  receiving  the  dual  Law,  have,  nevertheless, 
cast  it  out  of  their  control  and  broken  it.  And  even 
though  they  may  be  the  means  of  pointing  the  way 
to  the  Promised  Land  to  many  followers,  these 
teachers,  like  Moses,  will  be  debarred  from  entering 
in  during  this  incarnation. 

It  takes  clean  hands  and  pure  hearts  and  brave, 
determined  Souls  to  lift  this  banner  of  the  Law 
before  the  world,  but  it  must  be  accomplished.  This 
is  the  beginning  of  a  new  cycle,  when  an  advanced 
step  must  be  taken  in  this  old,  old  problem.  Every 
Soul  who  is  now  interested  in  it  has  in  ages  past 
been  among  those  who  have  tried  and  failed  and 
suffered.  But  there  must  now  come  the  strength 
of  all  the  past  efforts  and  the  wisdom  which  the 
suffering  has  impressed  upon  each  Soul.  Many 
as  women  have  had  the  iron  of  slavery  driven  deep 


338  The  Voice  of  Isis 

into  their  Souls  and  hence  find  within  them  an  in- 
born quality  which  cries  out  not  for  vengeance,  but 
recognition,  equality  and  readjustment.  Others  as 
men  have  helped  trample  under  foot  the  feminine 
stone  and  striven  to  obliterate  the  writing  of  the 
finger  of  God,  yet  have  found  their  boasted  suprem- 
acy unsatisfying.  They  have  felt  the  need  for  some- 
thing more  than  a  plaything,  more  than  a  household 
drudge  and  child-bearer,  more  even  than  an  en- 
shrined idol.  The  Soul  knows  its  need  of  that 
help  which  can  only  come  from  the  complement 
which  God  himself  has  supplied.  For  the  manifes- 
tations of  the  Law  having  been  separated,  neither 
can  be  complete  without  the  other.  They  are  like 
children  who  are  reading  an  interesting  story,  but 
who  have  lost  the  sequel.  They  find  life  an  un- 
finished story.  So  the  two  types — all  those  who 
have  reached  the  point  of  evolution  where  the  Soul- 
cry  is  heard — are  ready  for  the  readjustment  and 
are  crying  out  for  something  that  shall  make  straight 
the  crooked  paths  and  lighten  the  great  burden  of 
misery  for  the  world. 

The  natural  outgrowth  of  these  karmic  conditions 
is  unrest  and  dissatisfaction  in  marital  relations. 
The  woman-question  is  a  burning  one.  Many  are 
eager  for  political  freedom,  some  few  as  eager  to 
prevent  it.  But  the  political  side  of  the  question  is 
but  a  bubble  upon  the  surface  of  the  greater  ques- 
tion of  the  unification  of  the  two  tables  of  stone, 
showing  that  the  great  stream  of  humanity  is  pass- 
ing over  shoals  which  cause  the  bubbles  to  come 
to  the  surface.  Only  as  humanity  reaches  into  its 
deeper  levels  and  its  foaming  waters  and  conflict- 
ing currents  have  been  blended  into  one  steady 
stream,  can  it  flow  in  peace  and  power  down  the 


The  Voice  of  Isis  339 

channels  of  time,  watering  all  the  land  and  making 
the  desert  places  in  life  bloom  as  the  rose.  Man- 
kind must  recognize  that  the  Law  can  never  be 
fulfilled  until  its  two  tables  have  been  cleansed 
from  the  pollution  that  obscures  the  writing  and 
each  has  been  given  its  true  value  and  they  have 
been  fitted  together  and  become  one.  Then  it  will 
be  seen  that  neither  man  nor  woman  is  superior, 
nor  can  either,  by  any  possibility,  rightfully  usurp 
the  place  or  perform  the  duties  of  the  other;  in 
fact,  neither  one  can  fulfill  the  whole  Law  without 
the  harmonious  blending  and  co-operation  of  the  other. 
Man  is  the  positive  expression  of  the  Law  on  the 
physical-plane,  but  negative  upon  the  spiritual- 
plane.  Hence,  it  was  necessary  that  he  dominate 
during  those  stages  of  evolution  in  which  the 
conquering  of  the  rude  outward  conditions  of 
physical  life  were  of  prime  importance  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  Race.  In  the  united  life  of  the  family 
to  him  belongs  the  conditions  of  the  outer  world, 
the  physical  labor,  the  fighting,  the  providing  for 
and  protecting  of  the  home,  the  execution  of  that 
which  is  planned  by  the  two,  in  fact,  all  outward 
manifestations  of  the  Law.  True  woman  is  positive 
upon  the  spiritual-plane,  where  man  is  negative,  and 
negative  upon  the  physical-plane,  where  man  is 
positive.  To  her  belongs  the  control  of  all  those 
questions  which  deal  with  the  higher  life.  She 
must  use  her  intuition  in  the  directing  of  all  activ- 
ities pertaining  to  the  altruistic  side  of  life,  just  as 
man  uses  his  reason  in  worldly  affairs.  She  should 
be  man's  moral  and  spiritual  monitor  and  should 
be  his  source  of  inspiration  and  spiritual  help.  The 
two  should  work  co-equally  in  all  matters. 


340  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

Many  masculine  Souls  now  incarnated  in  feminine  , 
bodies  are  working  strenuously  and  with  all  the 
masculine  characteristics  to  bring  about  the  polit- 
ical freedom  of  woman  which  they  were  instru- 
mental in  preventing  her  from  obtaining  in  the  past. 
But  it  is  the  true  feminine  influence  that  is  needed 
in  the  political  arena,  not  masculine  influence 
in  feminine  garb;  for  it  is  just  as  necessary  there 
as  in  the  home,  the  state  and  nation  being 
but  a  larger  family.  No  business  or  worldly  affairs 
should  be  carried  on  without  the  inspiration  and 
moral  sanction  of  woman,  and  no  feminine  plans 
be  carried  out  without  man's  active  help  and  co- 
operation in  making  them  positive  and  practical 
on  the  earth-plane.  In  other  words,  woman,  while 
she  cultivates  her  intuition,  love,  sympathy  and 
spiritual  aspiration,  should  have  those  qualities 
balanced  by  reason,  logic,  courage  and  common- 
sense.  Man,  while  cultivating  the  positive  qualities 
of  courage,  reason  and  executive  ability,  should 
balance  them  with  love,  sympathy  and  intuition. 
The  two  should  blend  perfectly  just  as  Spirit  pene- ' 
\  trates  matter  and  is  the  cause  back  of  all  outward 
evolution,  yet  without  which  outward  form  it  could 
not  manifest  on  earth.  Just  as  both  sun  and  water 
are  essential  to  the  growing  plant,  an  excess  of 
either  bringing  disaster,  but  the  perfect  blending 
of  the  two  making  the  earth  bring  forth  in  abun- 
dance, so  should  the  perfect  blending  of  man  and 
woman  make  this  earth  a  fertile  field  for  the  perfect 
evolution  of  the  New  Humanity.  Only  thus  can  the 
two  tables  of  stone  fit  into  each  other  and  be  fused 
by  the  power  of  The  Christ  into  the  chief  stone 
of  the  corner,  upon  which  the  fire  of  Divine  Love 
may  act  co-equally  to  transmute  it  into  pure  spir- 
itual gold. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

HEALING  PRAYER. 

Oh  thou  loving  and  helpful  Master  Jesus ! 
Thou  who  gavest  to  thy  disciples  power  to  heal 
the  sick! 

We,  recognizing  Thee,  and  realizing  Thy  divine 
presence  within  us,  ask  Thee  to  lay  Thy  hands 
upon  us  in  healing  Love. 

Cleanse  us  from  all  our  sins,  and  by  the  divine 
power  of  Omnipotent  Life,  drive  out  the  atoms 
of  inharmony  and  disease,  and  fill  our  bodies  full 
to  overflowing  with  Life,  and  Love,  and  Purity. 

Many  pupils  when  they  receive  this  prayer  either 
address  it  to  a  personal  Jesus  or  refuse  to  use  it 
at  all  because  they  object  to  praying  to  a  person- 
ality, be  he  ever  so  godlike.  We  wish  it  under- 
stood, therefore,  that  in  this  prayer  we  do  not 
pray  to  the  man  Jesus  but  that  we  recognize  Him  as 
the  high  Master  who  is  at  the  head  of  the  Healing 
Hierarchy,  ever  ready  to  answer  such  a  call  as  this 
prayer  sends  out.  Only  such  a  call  can  pierce  the 
clouds  that  hide  the  earthly  from  the  Divine,  and  make 
a  channel  through  which  the  divine  healing  forces 
can  reach  you. 

We  also  use  the  name  Jesus  because  of  its  great 
potency,  the  name  Jesus  having  been  used  for  cen- 
turies in  connection  with  the  thought  of  personal 
help  and  healing  power.  "To  utter  a  Name  is  not 
only  to  define  a  Being,  but  to  place  it  under,  and 
condemn  (obligate)  it  through  the  emission  of  the 
Word  to  the  influence  of,  one  or  more  Occult  poten- 
cies. Things  are,  for  every  one  of  us,  that  which  it 
(the  Word)  makes  them  while  naming  them."  * 

TThe  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky,  Vol.  I,  121. 


342  The  Voice  of  Isis 

Therefore  do  not  hold  the  erroneous  idea  that 
you  are  to  worship  any  personalized  deity,  be  He 
ever  so  high,  but  endeavor  to  realize  the  divine 
Presence  within  you  of  The  Christ-force  which  the 
Bible  allegory  makes  a  living  factor  in  the  world 
and  which  the  Master  Jesus  personifies.  Pause 
for  one  moment  and  try  to  grasp  the  idea  that  to 
realize  the  presence  of  the  Great  Healer,  as  in  the 
prayer  you  say  you  do,  is  for  the  moment,  while 
the  realization  lasts,  to  become  one  with  the 
Divine.  You  then  understand  that  the  Real  Self 
is  not  a  mere  personality  made  up  of  wornout  and 
dying  atoms,  but  is  something  Divine,  one  with 
God,  all  holy  and  all  powerful,  one  with  all  good 
from  eternity  to  eternity.  This  realization  may  be 
but  a  flash,  but  in  that  flash  you  have  partaken 
of  all  that  can  be  imagined  of  power  and  strength 
and  glory.  With  this  understanding  of  the  prayer  never 
repeat  it  without  pausing  at  the  words  and  realiz- 
ing the  Divine  Presence  within  you,  for  it  is  not 
something  outside  yourself,  but  an  inflow  of  the 
Divine  made  possible  by  the  opening  of  your  heart 
and  consciousness. 

If  your  eyes  could  be  opened  to  see  the  effect 
the  repetition  of  this  prayer  produces  on  the  higher 
planes,  the  forces  it  brings  to  your  aid,  you  would 
realize  its  beauty  and  its  power. 

When  you  say  "lay  Thy  hands  upon  us  in  healing 
love,"  it  is  a  literal  adaptation  of  the  words,  "Thou 
hast  made  Thine  angels  Thy  handmaidens,  and  Thy 
ministers  a  flaming  sword ;"  for  the  angelic  hosts  min- 
ister to  all  pure  hearts  who  desire  their  help.  The 
hands  which  you  ask  the  great  Master  to  lay  upon 
your  head  are  His  powers  to  accomplish,  which  powers 
are  executed  by  this  host  of  angels  who  have  the 


The  Voice  of  Isis  343 

power  to  carry  the  divine  force  to  you.  When  you 
recite  it  in  harmony,  the  angels  crowd  around  you 
like  flocks  of  doves,  to  ward  off  harmful  forces 
and  protect  the  germ  of  your  physical,  mental  and 
spiritual  life.  For  it  is  a  spiritual  battle-cry  calling 
to  your  aid  the  angelic  hosts  whose  joy  it  is  to 
succor  those  who  fight  the  good  fight.  The  Bible 
speaks  of  the  angels  as  always  beholding  the  face 
of  The  Christ ;  that  is,  their  development  is  such  that 
they  can  see  nothing  on  the  earth-plane  but  The 
Christ-principle,  or  the  face  of  The  Christ,  in  each 
heart.  If  that  face  is  obscured  by  clouds  of  selfish- 
ness and  impurity  they  cannot  see  you,  and  conse- 
quently cannot  bring  you  help.  But  the  instant 
the  cry  for  help  goes  up  from  the  heart,  they  fly 
to  your  aid  at  the  command  of  their  Leader. 

Angels  have  always  been  recognized,  under  vari- 
ous names,  in  all  religions.  They  belong  to  a  dif- 
ferent evolution  from  humanity,  although  closely 
allied,  and  necessarily  have  different  lessons  to 
learn  and  different  work  to  do.  They  are  com- 
plementary to  humanity,  strong  where  humanity 
is  weak;  weak  where  humanity  is  strong.  They 
stand  to  humanity  as  a  true  wife  should  stand  to 
her  husband ;  in  fact,  they  may  be  said  to  repre- 
sent the  feminine  aspect  of  humanity.  They  are 
the  "Ministers  and  Stewards  of  the  Mysteries,"  the 
"hosts  of  the  Lord"  that  carry  out  His  commands. 
They  are  the  go-betweens  and  messengers,  and 
have  a  might  and  a  power  unknown  to  mortal  man. 
We  must  never  forget  the  love  we  owe  these  min- 
istering ones. 

Upon  the  highest  plane  of  Spirit,  life  is  the  One 
Life  which  can  be  nothing  but  perfection.  The 
repetition  of  this  prayer  is  like  a  projectile  fired 


344  The  Voice  of  Isis 

through  the  earth's  atmosphere  creating  a  passage 
through  which  the  One  Life  must  necessarily  flow. 
As  it  passes  from  plane  to  plane  it  manifests  upon 
the  soul-plane — the  plane  of  creation  and  of  re- 
demption— as  spiritual  love.  Thus  does  the  Son  of 
God  (the  One  Life)  descend  from  His  Father  to 
redeem  the  world  through  love.  When  this  spiritual 
love  reaches  the  plane  of  generation,  the  physical 
plane,  its  manifestation  in  the  body  is  purity.  Thus 
The  Christ  manifests  on  the  spiritual-plane  as  the 
One  Life,  on  the  soul-plane  as  Love  and  on  the 
physical-plane  as  Purity. 

This  is  the  rationale  of  all  healing,  and  a  thor- 
ough recognition  and  realization  of  the  presence 
of  this  spiritual  life-force,  and  its  working  out  in 
a  three-fold  manner,  produces  that  harmony  which 
is  health  to  both  mind  and  body.  It  also  har- 
monizes conditions  in  your  environment.  Unkind- 
ness  or  hatred  in  your  heart  produce  inharmony 
and  sickness  by  condensing  your  aura  and  shutting 
out  this  force  of  life  from  you.  If  you  send  a 
thought  of  hatred  toward  a  person  you  put  a  wall 
around  yourself  which  only  your  own  loving 
thoughts,  and  prayers  such  as  the  above,  can  pierce 
and  break  down,  and  which  shuts  out  the  life- 
force  from  you  and  permits  disease  to  flourish. 

Whenever  you  desire  help,  physical,  mental  or 
spiritual,  either  for  yourself  or  others,  repeat  this 
prayer,  meditating  on  each  word  and  trying  to 
realize  its  true  meaning  on  all  planes  of  your  being. 
Realize  that  there  are  currents  of  spiritual  force 
which  are  potent  and  bring  renewed  life  and 
strength  to  your  physical  body  as  well  as  peace 
and  content  to  your  mind  and  happiness  and  joy 


The  Voice  of  Isis  345 

to  your   Soul.     And   in   this   prayer  you   are   con- 
sciously invoking  these  forces. 

As  the  Master  Jesus  gave  to  His  disciples  the 
power  to  heal  the  sick,  and  has  never  withdrawn 
that  gift,  so  every  true  disciple  who  firmly  believes 
this,  and  faithfully  strives  to  manifest  The  Christ- 
principle  within  him,  has  now  the  power,  through 
the  laying  on  of  hands  (by  the  summoning  of  the 
angelic  hosts),  to  bring  this  One  Life  into  mani- 
festation, and  thus  dissipate  ills  and  promote  health 
and  harmony. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  SILENCE. 

"But  thou,  when  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thy 
closet,  and  when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray  to 
thy  Father  which  is  in  secret;  and  thy  Father 
which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly."— 
St.  Matthew  VI,  6. 

We  have  so  many  inquiries  from  our  pupils  for 
some  method  by  which  they  can  strengthen  their  wills 
and  hasten  their  spiritual  growth  that  we  desire  to 
give  a  brief  outline  of  the  first  stages  of  this  process. 

We  cannot  emphasize  too  strongly  the  fact  that  there 
is  but  one  way  to  grow,  i.  e.,  according  to  the  Law 
of  Growth  followed  by  Nature.  "Grow  as  the  flower 
grows,  unconsciously,  but  eagerly  anxious  to  open 
its  soul  to  the  air.  So  must  you  press  forward  to 
open  your  soul  to  the  eternal.  But  it  must  be  the 
eternal  that  draws  forth  your  strength  and  beauty,  not 
desire  for  growth.  For  in  the  one  case  you  develop  in 
the  luxuriance  of  purity,  in  the  other  you  harden  by 
the  forcible  passion  for  personal  stature."  1  In  this 
one  paragraph  is  contained  the  great  secret  of  all 
growth  and  the  student  must  grasp  its  significance 
and  master  it.  Indeed,  until  the  essence  of  the  truth 
underlying  the  above  direction  has  been  mastered 
and  incorporated  into  the  consciousness,  to  attempt 
any  practice  calculated  to  unfold  inner  faculties  is 
fraught  with  grave  dangers.  We  begin  this  chapter, 
therefore,  with  the  injunction  to  all  our  pupils  to  take 
the  ideas  contained  in  the  above  quotation  and  medi- 
tate upon  them  until  they  are  fully  understood — 

1  Light  on  the  Path,  p.  5. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  347 

understood  not  as  words  merely,  but  as  vital  life  ex- 
periences— ere  they  attempt  further  advance. 

The  student  should  pause  here  and  clearly  distin- 
guish between  concentration,  meditation,  prayer  and 
entering  the  Silence.  Concentration  is  focusing  the 
attention  upon  a  chosen  object  or  idea.  It  is  the 
first  step  toward  accomplishing  any  given  end,  either 
in  the  physical,  mental  or  higher  worlds.  Meditation 
is  turning  over  in  the  mind  a  thought  or  idea  that 
you  may  see  it  from  every  standpoint  and  grasp  all 
its  phases  and  relations.  It  is  an  active  mental  pro- 
cess which  occupies  the  undercurrents  of  your  mind 
even  while  it  may  be  overseeing  more  superficial 
affairs.  The  proof  that  we  can  meditate  while  en- 
gaged in  daily  affairs  is  found  in  the  fact  that  if  we 
have  some  great  joy  or  sorrow  it  will  remain  in  the 
background  of  our  consciousness  no  matter  what  we 
do  to  distract  our  attention  from  it.  Apply  the  same 
principle  to  your  spiritual  life  and  make  the  attain- 
ment of  that  life  your  main  thought  and  aim. 

Prayer  is  an  aspiration  of  the  Soul  toward  the 
Divine.  It  may  also  be  a  request,  not  for  creature  com- 
forts or  physical  things — answers  to  such  prayers  are 
but  the  result  of  mental  magic — but  for  spiritual  food, 
love,  light,  courage,  etc.  In  fact  prayer  creates  a  mag- 
netic line  of  force  which  unites  you  with  the  supply. 
Entering  the  Silence  is  an  ecstatic  state  in  which  the 
human  consciousness  is  transcended  and,  while  it  lasts, 
all  sense  of  the  personality  is  lost.  While  we  teach 
that  life  itself  brings  to  the  earnest  seeker  all  the 
discipline  necessary  to  strengthen  his  will,  and  that 
the  ruling  of  his  life  brings  the  most  rapid  spiritual 
growth,  still  it  is  well  to  have  a  definite  time  set  apart 
each  day  for  concentration  upon  the  end  for  which 
he  is  striving. 


348  The  Voice  of  Isis 

To  meditate  upon  the  above  quotation  let  the  pupil 
set  apart  a  certain  time  each  day,  preferably  in  the 
early  morning — rising  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  earlier  if 
necessary — and  sit  in  a  quiet  spot  (in  the  same  chair, 
if  possible)  and  repeat  the  foregoing  passage  with 
a  prayer  for  light  and  understanding,  and  meditate 
upon  it.  Try  to  picture  mentally  the  growth  of  a 
flower.  Follow  every  step  of  its  enfoldment;  first 
the  tiny  seed  buried  in  the  dark  earth,  then  the  force 
within  that  seed  which  makes  it,  bye  and  bye,  burst 
through  its  confining  shell.  Let  your  mind  enter  into, 
in  fact  for  the  time  being,  become  this  flower.  Dwell 
upon  the  period  of  darkness  necessary  while  the  seed 
is  sending  forth  its  thread-like  feelers,  groping  every- 
where in  the  dark  and  gathering  nourishment  from 
the  earth.  With  unerring  instinct  it  follows  the  law  of 
its  being,  selecting  such  nutriment  as  will  assist  its 
growth  and  rejecting  that  which  is  inharmonious.  Fol- 
low the  seedling  through  every  phase  of  its  growth. 
At  each  step  apply  the  same  law  to  vou  own  growth. 
Think  of  the  Soul  as  planted  in  the  darkness  and 
loneliness  of  the  material  conditions  of  this  earth,  yet 
containing  within  it  the  possibilities  of  fruition — its 
immortal  destiny. 

Do  not  trv  to  follow  the  seed  through  every  step  of 
its  life-journey  at  the  first  sittine:  but  meditate  day 
after  day  upon  one  step  or  stage  of  growth,  correlating 
yourself  with  it  until  yott  are  sure  you  have  mastered 
its  lessons  and  have  realized  their  application  to  your 
own  spiritual  growth.  Above  all  make  the  point 
very  clear  that  the  seed  has  no  personal  desire  to  grow, 
nor  to  excel  some  other  seed,  but  that  it  is  fully 
occupied  in  fulfilling  the  law  of  its  beinsf.  "to  open 
its  soul  to  the  air."  When  you  have  mastered  one 
phase  of  growth  you  are  ready  to  pass  on  to  the  next. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  349 

And  only  when  you  have,  at  least  in  some  measure 
grasped  all  the  lessons  thus  taught  you,  are  you  ready 
to  enter  into  the  Silence,  where  you  can  learn  from 
the  Divine  and  hear  the  voice  of  your  Higher  Self 
"the  Master  whom  as  yet  thou  hast  not  seen  but  whom 
thou  feelest."  For  only  when  the  flower  blooms  does 
it  open  its  heart  to  the  silent  power  of  the  sun  and 
drink  in  the  magnetic  forces  which  could  not  be  assim- 
ilated until  the  bloom  unfolded.  In  the  same  way  must 
the  student  open  his  heart  to  the  Sun  of  Righteouness 
ere  he  is  ready  to  learn  from  the  Voice  of  the  Silence. 

Let  no  pupil  think,  however,  that  when,  through 
meditation,  he  has  reached  the  Silence,  henceforth 
he  has  no  need  of  meditation;  for  no  one  can  enter 
the  Silence  until  by  meditation  he  has  opened  his 
heart  to  the  influence  of  the  Divine  as  the  petals  of 
the  rose  open  to  the  magnetic  influence  of  the  sun. 
While  an  effort  may  be  made  at  first  toward  its  realiza- 
tion, later  it  must  become  a  state  into  which  you  can 
enter  at  will,  shutting  the  door  of  your  mind  on  all 
daily  affairs  and  finding  rest,  peace  and  communion, 
even  in  the  midst  of  the  turmoils  of  life.  But  remember 
that  while  aids,  such  as  concentration,  breathing,  etc., 
are  helpful  in  their  proper  place  they  do  not  of  them- 
selves cause  spiritual  growth.  They  are  only  aids.  The 
growth  must  come  from  dwelling  in  the  consciousness  r 
of  the  Divine  within  you  and  the  manifesting  of  The 
jChrist-force  in  the  daily  affairs  of  life. 

When  the  ability  to  meditate  has  been  acquired  and 
the  pupil  is  ready  to  enter  the  Silence,  he  should  first 
spend  a  few  moments  in  deep  breathing,  following 
the  method  called  the  "Complete  Breath."  The  greatest 
factor  in  deep  breathing  lies  in  the  thought  held  at 
the  time.  This  is  the  difference  between  deep  breathing 
as  practiced  for  mere  physical  culture  and  for  the 


350  The  Voice  of  Isis 

control  of  the  life-currents.  While  the  physical  cul- 
turist  is  breathing  merely  for  health,  the  occultist 
realizes  that  much  more  than  physical  health  is  to  be 
attained,  for  through  the  power  of  breath  combined 
with  Will,  he  can  draw  in  the  spiritual  life-essence 
which  permeates  the  higher  strata  of  the  earth's  atmo- 
sphere. By  the  act  of  consciously  breathing  we  cor- 
relate with  this  essence  and  draw  it  more  completely 
into  the  body. 

This  breath  is  the  fundamental  breath  of  the  entire 
Science  of  Breath,  and  the  student  must  fully  acquaint 
himself  with  it,  and  master  it  perfectly  before  he  can 
hope  to  obtain  proper  results.  To  accomplish  this 
requires  attention,  effort  and  persistence,  but  it  is 
essential  to  further  the  progress  along  this  line.  When 
fully  mastered  it  will  become  automatic.  Do  not  neglect 
or  belittle  it  because  it  seems  simple.1 

The  following  exercise  will  give  you  a  clear  idea  of 
what  the  Complete  Breath  is : 

(1.)  Stand  or  sit  erect.  Breathing  through  the 
nostrils,  inhale  steadily,  first  filling  the  lower  part  of  the 
lungs.  This  is  accomplished  by  the  diaphragm,  which 
in  descending  exerts  a  gentle  pressure  on  the  abdominal 
organs,  pushing  forward  the  front  walls  of  the  abdo- 
men. Then  fill  the  middle  part  of  the  lungs,  lifting 
the  chest  and  upper  ribs.  In  the  final  movement,  the 
lower  part  of  the  abdomen  will  be  slightly  drawn  in, 
giving  the  lungs  support  and  helping  to  fill  the  highest 
part  of  the  lungs.  The  three  movements  are  not  sepa- 
rate, but  continuous,  the  entire  chest  being  expanded 
in  uniform  movement.  Avoid  all  jerky  movements, 
and  strive  to  attain  a  steady  continuous  action. 

1  CAUTION. — Students  should  be  careful  not  to  overdo  this,  either 
by  using  too  many  counts  or  by  taking  too  many  breaths  at  one  time. 
Best  begin  with  two  or  three  breaths  and  increase  gradually. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  351 

(2.)  Retain  the  breath  for  a  few  seconds,  or  heart 
beats. 

(3.)  Exhale  slowly  in  the  reverse  order,  chest  first 
and  abdomen  last. 

(4.)  Rest  the  same  number  of  counts  as  in  (2). 
The  rule  is  to  inhale  for  a  convenient  number  of  heart- 
beats (6,  8  or  10),  retain  the  breath  half  this  number; 
make  the  exhalation  the  same  length  as  the  inhalation, 
and  the  rest  between  breaths  the  same  number  of 
counts  as  in  (2). 

During  the  inhalation  hold  the  thought  that  you  are 
breathing  in  the  forces  of  love,  strength,  courage  and 
purity,  or  any  other  virtues  you  desire ;  that  during 
the  pause  they  are  filling  you  full  to  overflowing,  and 
that  during  the  out-breathing  you  are  sending  out 
help,  comfort,  health  and  love  to  all  mankind.  Think 
of  what  you  need  as  flowing  in  direct  from  the  Divine, 
thus  making  a  direct  line  of  communication  over 
which  the  Divine  can  reach  you.  Dwell  upon  the  fact 
that  this  divine  force  which  flows  through  you  is  not 
your  personal  force,  and  therefore  when  you  breathe 
out,  determine  that  you  will  send  out  only  the  force 
of  the  Divine,  untainted  by  your  personality.  Realize 
that  you  are  thus  creating  a  reservoir  of  power;  that 
you  can  draw  upon  it  in  unlimited  quantities,  as  a 
seed  draws  to  itself  the  power  of  the  eternal,  and  by 
assimilating  it  grows  naturally,  yet  does  not  mon- 
opolize that  power.  Realize  that  this  power  will  purify 
the  vessel  (the  personal  self,  always  to  be  looked  upon 
as  a  mere  channel)  ;  that  you  are  simply  filling  up  the 
vessel  that  it  may  overflow  to  all,  as  a  flower  sheds 
abroad  its  perfume;  and  that  if  you  are  thus  enabled 
to  help  others  it  is  not  because  of  your  personal  attain- 
ments or  power,  but  because  of  the  power  of  the 
Divine  flowing  through  you — because  you  have  be- 


352  The  Voice  of  Isis 

come  "a  center  through  which  The  Lodge  can 
work."  *  Remember,  therefore,  that  you  must  keep  the 
channel  pure  and  free  from  all  contaminating  influences 
that  as  little  as  possible  of  your  own  personality  shall 
enter  into  the  good  you  are  enabled  to  send  forth. 
For  a  seed  must  be  a  healthy  seed  or,  no  matter  how 
much  of  the  divine  force  is  poured  into  it,  it  will  never 
grow.  Indeed,  if  it  has  a  canker,  the  divine  force  will 
but  hasten  its  decay. 

It  is  often  a  help  to  stand  before  an  open  window, 
especially  one  facing  the  East.  Raise  your  arms  in 
front  of  you,  with  fingers  outspread,  and  try  to  feel 
the  force  like  a  tangible  thing  which  you  can  grasp. 
As  you  indraw  the  breath,  clench  your  hands  and  draw 
toward  your  heart,  as  it  were  handsfull  of  force,  and 
feel  it  permeating  your  whole  body.2  Any  action  such 
as  this  will  help  you  to  realize  that  you  are  draw- 
ing in  the  Divine  Life.  Never,  under  any  circum- 
stances perform  this  exercise  when  nervous,  cross  or 
while  holding  any  unkind  or  vindictive  feeling  in  your 
heart,  or  the  consequences  will  be  disastrous,  for  you 
will  be  drawing  to  you  more  of  the  same  forces.  If 
this  exercise  is  performed  in  the  evening,  it  will  be  well 
to  fix  your  gaze  upon  the  stars  in  such  a  way  as  to 
exclude  all  sights  of  earth,  if  possible. 

After  a  few  short  breaths,  sit  in  an  easy  chair  (always 
the  same  one  and  in  the  same  place,  if  possible)  or 
lie  flat  on  your  back  with  your  arms  outstretched  in 
the  form  of  a  cross.  Meditate  a  few  moments  and  send 
up  a  strong  aspiration  of  love — it  should  not  even  be 
a  definite  thought,  but  a  great  yearning  for  the  Divine, 
and  a  realization  that  you,  in  your  Higher  Self,  are 

iSee  Chapter  XXXIII. 

*  CAUTION. — Do  not  take  this  exercise  mor«  than  three  or  four 
times  at  first,  for  it  is  a  powerful  heart  stimulant.  If  you  feel  faint 
or  dizzy,  stop  at  once,  lie  down  and  rest,  and  do  not  try  it  again  the 
same  day. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  353 

the  master,  and  in  the  words  of  Malachi:  "If  I  be  a 
master,  where  is  my  fear :" 1— -then  sink  into  the 
Silence. 

To  acquire  the  ability  to  enter  the  Silence  prop- 
erly will  take  time ;  for  you  will  find  your  mind  fairly 
bombarded  by  thoughts,  often  of  a  trivial  nature, 
which  you  must  determinately  still.  This  may  re- 
quire weeks  or  months  of  practice ;  for  as  you  silence 
thoughts  on  one  stratum  of  consciousness,  your  mind 
will  still  be  active,  but  in  a  more  interior  way.  "Merge 
into  one  sense  thy  senses,  if  thou  would'st  be  secure 
against  the  foe.  'Tis  by  that  sense  alone  which  lies 
concealed  within  the  hollow  of  thy  brain,  that  the 
steep  path  which  leadeth  to  thy  Master  may  be  dis- 
closed before  thy  Soul's  dim  eye."2  Do  not  get  discour- 
aged. "Have  patience,  candidate,  as  one  who  fears  no 
failure,  courts  no  success."  When  you  find  your  mind 
wandering,  bring  it  back  and,  if  necessary,  repeat, 
"Peace,  be  still."  Often  it  is  a  help  to  repeat  the  word 
Silence  or  repeat  your  given  name  again  and  again. 
But  when  you  have  gained  the  power  of  Silence,  stop 
even  these  helps.  Your  mind  must  be  like  a  still  moun- 
tain lake,  without  a  ripple,  capable  of  perfectly  reflect- 
ing every  passing  cloud.  If  the  surface  of  the  lake  is 
agitated,  even  by  a  ripple,  the  images  on  its  surface 
will  be  distorted;  so  it  is  with  the  mind.  Only  when 
you  have  attained  to  this  quietude  of  mind  can  you 
hope  to  hear  The  Voice  of  the  Silence  without  the  in- 
termixture of  personality,  and  observe  without  distor- 
tion the  heavenly  images  reflected  in  your  brain  from 
your  Father-in-heaven. 

It  is  important  that  the  student  school  himself  to 
think  definitely  and  clearly  of  the  'personal  guidance 
of  his  Higher  self — his  Father-in-heaven  who  is  the 

n    *  Malachi  1,   6. 

2  The    Voice  of  the  Silence,   Blavatsky,   Fragment   I. 


354  The  Voice  of  Isis 

"I  am  I,"  while  the  personality  is  but  the  servant. 
Should  a  student  attempt  to  enter  the  Silence  with  no 
definite  idea  as  to  whose  voice  he  is  listening  for — 
who  the  Master  is  upon  whom  he  is  to  fix  his  whole 
attention — and  in  a  negative  attitude,  as  so  often  hap- 
pens, he  is  in  great  danger  of  receiving  impres- 
sions from  astral  entities,  either  departed  friends,  ele- 
mentals  or  powerful  but  perverted  entities,  who  would 
deliberately  mislead  and  deceive  him  and  use  him  as 
a  tool  to  further  their  own  ends.  For  this  reason  the 
attitude  of  Soul  that  must  always  be  held  is  one  of 
deep  humility  and  ardent,  aspiring  devotion  to  the 
Divine.  There  must  always  be  the  positive  expectation 
of  entering  the  presence  of  the  Divine ;  of  listening 
reverently  for  the  voice  of  your  Father-in-heaven— 
"He  that  is  of  God  heareth  God's  words."  There  must 
be  a  definite  and  fixed  determination  to  listen  to  noth- 
ing else,  and  to  permit  nothing  else  to  enter  your  aura. 
Have  no  fear,  however,  for  "Fear,  O  disciple,  kills  the 
will  and  stays  all  action."  "The  fear  of  man  bringeth 
a  snare:  but  whoso  putteth  his  trust  in  the  Lord  shall 
be  safe."1  Dare — Do — Keep  Silent. 

If  two  or  three  are  entering  the  Silence  together 
let  no  one  desire  to  be  used  as  spokesman  for  the 
rest,  for  the  very  desire  opens  a  door  for  personality 
and  makes  possible  and  easy  delusions  from  the  astral 
plane.  Let  each  listen  only  for  himself,  not  for  an- 
other. If  one  should  speak  at  such  a  time  let  the  others 
know  well  that  if  the  message  is  true  and  if  they  are  in 
a  state  of  mental  poise,  the  endorsement  will  be  given 
in  their  own  hearts.  This  power  of  distinguishing  intu- 
itively between  the  true  and  the  false  is  often  the  first 
conscious  touch  between  you  and  your  Higher  Self. 

That  the  Lord,  or  a  Divine  Intelligence,  does  thus 

1  Proverbs  XXIX,  25. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  355 

guide  humanity  through  The  Voice  of  the  Silence  is 
amply  testified  to  and  plainly  set  forth  in  the  Bible, 
both  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  as  well  as  in  all 
other  sacred  scriptures.  Indeed,  the  Bible  is  full  of 
allusions  to  those  who  listened  to  the  Voice  and  those 
who  refuse  to  listen.  As  we  said  in  a  former  chapter1 
the  Bible  is  a  symposium  of  allegories  illustrating  the 
spiritual  truths  needed  by  the  entire  Fifth  Race  of 
the  Red  Ray.  Hence,  if,  as  plainly  stated — in  lan- 
guage so  familiar  as  to  be  almost  trite — the  children 
of  God  were  led  and  directed  by  the  Voice  in  past 
ages,  it  is  equally  true  to-day;  for  there  has  never 
been  given  to  man  any  statement  that  would  give  him 
reason  to  believe  that  there  had  been  a  change  in  the 
laws  of  spiritual  communication  or  that  the  teachings 
of  the  Master  Jesus  were  no  longer  true.  The  Voice 
of  God  speaks  to-day,  to  all  who  listen,  as  plainly  as  it 
spake  to  the  pure  in  heart  of  old.  "Trust  in  the  Lord 
with  all  thine  heart ;  and  lean  not  unto  thine  own 
understanding.  In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  him,  and 
he  shall  direct  thy  paths."  2 

When  Jesus  told  his  disciples  to  enter  into  the  closet 
and  shut  the  door,  the  closet  referred  to  the  Silence, 
and  the  "door"  which  they  were  to  shut  was  the  door 
of  the  mind.  The  Father  who  seeth  in  secret  is  the 
Higher  Self,  who  does  not  require  words,  but  who 
seeth  in  secret,  i.  e.,  in  the  Silence,  through  vibrations 
of  love.  The  open  reward  is  the  peace,  comfort  and 
spiritual  upliftment  which  comes  as  the  result  of  such 
communing  with  the  Father-in-heaven. 

1  Chapter  V. 

2  Proverbs  III,  5-6. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 
NATURE'S  MYSTIC  ALPHABET. 

"I  will  meditate  also  of  all  thy  work,  and  talk 
of  thy  doings."— Psalms,  LXXVII,  12. 

"The  man  who  is  endued  with  this  devotion 
and  who  seeth  the  unity  of  all  things,  perceiveth 
the  Supreme  Soul  in  all  things  and  all  things  in 
the  Supreme  Soul." — The  Bhagavad-Gita,  Chap. 

It  is  desirable  that  all  occult  students  form  some  defi- 
nite idea  of  the  true  meanings  and  relations  of  sound, 
number,  color  and  form,  for  they  stand  at  the  founda- 
tion of  all  occult  training.  Although  this  theme  is 
so  stupendous  that  nothing  more  than  the  briefest 
possible  outline  can  be  attempted  in  this  lesson,  still 
there  have  been  so  many  vandal  hands  digging  about 
this  foundation — disrupting,  disorganizing  and  giving 
mere  surface  interpretations,  that  many  a  student  in 
his  bewilderment  thinks  the  foundation  is  tottering. 
This  lesson  is  meant  to  be  but  a  hint,  an  incentive  to 
deeper  study.  For  everything  in  Nature  has  its  voice 
which  speaks  in  tones  so  positive  that  it  cannot  mis- 
lead, if  we  open  our  ears  to  it. 

Every  shade  of  color  in  Nature  indicates  a  potency 
which  can  be  measured  by  its  wave-length  and  its 
rate  of  vibration,  and  have  its  tone  determined.  We 
read — "The  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  num- 
bered." x  This  is  literally  true,  for  the  color  of  the 
hair  together  with  its  texture,  determines  the  number 
of  its  vibration,  just  as  the  texture  of  a  violin  string 
determines  the  number  and  character  of  its  vibrations. 

And  the  vibrations  of  the  hair,  as  a  part  of  the  key- 

1  St.  Matthew,  x.  30. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  357 

note  of  the  body,  are  one  indication  of  the  character 
or  "the  measure  of  a  man."  * 

Every  flower  and  herb  of  the  field,  every  leaf  and 
twig  of  the  forest,  by  its  color  and  form,  its 
odor,  its  environment  and  its  manner  of  growing, 
proclaims  in  unmistakable  language  its  nature,  its 
potencies  and  its  uses  when  interpreted  accord- 
ing to  the  Law  of  Correspondences,  "As  above, 
so  below."  For  all  Nature-shapes  can  be  traced 
back  to  and  analyzed  into  simple  geometrical  figures  : — 
•  — ,  A,  Q  O  — just  as  all  musical  notes  produce* 
characteristic  geometrical  designs  when  made  to  pass 
through  sand  or  other  suitable  material.2  Do  not 
think,  however,  that  this  analysis  is  a  simple  task, 
for  very  few  colors  stand  out  alone  any  more  than 
there  are  straight  lines  or  exact  geometrical  figures  in 
Nature.  We  find  a  multiplicity  of  combinations  of 
color  and  form,  hence,  to  get  their  true  meaning,  they 
must  be  separated  into  their  elements. 

Only  the  true  student  who  can  devote  much  time 
and  study  to  the  subject  can  hope  to  penetrate  far  into 
the  secrets  of  Nature ;  nevertheless  we  are  told,  "There 
is  nothing  covered,  that  shall  not  be  revealed ;  and  hid, 
that  shall  not  be  known."  We  also  read,  "Help 
Nature  and  work  on  with  her ;  and  Nature  will  regard 
thee  as  one  of  her  creators  and  make  obeisance.  And 
she  will  open  wide  before  thee  the  portals  of  her 
secret  chambers,  lay  bare  before  thy  gaze  the  treasures 
hidden  in  the  very  depths  of  her  pure  virgin  bosom. 
Unsullied  by  the  hand  of  Matter,  she  shows  her  treas- 
ures only  to  the  eye  of  Spirit — the  eye  which  never 
closes,  the  eye  for  which  there  is  no  veil  in  all  her 

1  For  science  acception  of  this  fact  see  an  article  on  the  relation 
of  hair  to  character  by  Charles  Kassel  in  The  Popular  Science  Monthly, 
September  1912. 

a  See  common  high-school  experiment  in  physics — covering  a  metal 
plate  with  sand  and  vibrating  it. 


358  The  Voice  of  Isis 

kingdoms."  1  This  is  not  a  chimerical  dream,  but  an 
actual  possibility.  It  is  what  is  really  meant  by  living 
close  to  Nature. 

Sound,  number  and  color  are  the  three  manifesta- 
tions of  Deity  in  Nature,  Nature's  alphabet  so  to  speak, 
and  these  three  produce  a  fourth,  form.  Loosely 
speaking,  sound  is  the  first  letter  of  this  Divine  Alpha- 
bet, and  according  to  the  note  of  vibration  (number) 
of  sound  is  color  produced — although  the  sound  may 
not  be  audible  to  the  human  ear — and  by  the  inter- 
action of  these  three  is  form  created.  Thus  is  the 
Word  or  the  Creative  Sound  made  manifest,  for  with- 
out these  three  factors  nothing  can  be  produced. 

That  which  is  called  the  key-note  of  any  personality 
is  never  one  musical  tone,  but  a  combination  of  tones, 
a  chord.  There  are  many  ways  of  finding  this  chord, 
but  the  surest  is  by  listening  in  the  Silence,  first  ask- 
ing for  guidance,  and  striving  to  harmonize  yourself 
with  the  Divine  that  is  within  you,  your  Father-in- 
heaven,  then  endeavoring  to  silence  all  other  activities 
of  your  mind  and  listen  for  the  answer. 

Many  students  make  the  mistake  of  selecting  ex- 
terior colors  and  notes  and  surrounding  themselves 
with  them — because  those  colors  or  tones  appeal  to 
them — and  imagine  they  belong  to  them.  The  effect 
of  this  is  to  hold  back  the  development  of  their  real 
key-note,  for  it  is  generally  quite  different  from  that 
which  they  imagine.  The  vibrations  produced  by  the 
outer  colors  and  tones  focus  upon  the  student  and 
drown  the  inner.  Moreover,  your  true  color  or  tone 
is  something  which  you  must  reach  out  for  and  strive 
to  develop  within  you.  The  instant  it  is  thus  attained 
the  next  higher  color  or  tone  becomes  your  key-note. 
It may  be  said  that  man  is  continually  playing  his 

1  The  Voice  of  the  Silence,  Blavatsky,  Fragment  I. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  359 

Psalm  of  Life,  in  the  base  clef  of  human  vibrations. 
Hence  he  experiences  inharmony,  sickness  and  sorrow 
until  he  listens  to  and  strives  to  sing  the  melody  of 
the  treble  clef  as  sung  by  his  Higher  Self,  and  make 
his  base  clef  but  an  accompaniment.  When  this  is 
done  the  base  clef  gives  fulness  and  richness  to  the 
chords  and  makes  the  melody  complete. 

There  are  three  primary  colors,  red,  yellow  and  blue, 
a  trinity  which  may  be  compared  to  body,  soul  and 
Spirit.  Each  is  produced  by  a  particular  tone  with 
a  definite  rate  of  vibration  (number)  and  wave-length. 
These  three  form  the  triangle,  the  first  geometrical 
figure  to  manifest  on  earth.  From  these  three  emanate 
four  other  supplementary  colors  (the  square),  orange, 
green,  indigo  and  violet,  and  by  -the  blending  and 
interblending  of  these  seven,  together  with  black  and 
white,  are  all  other  colors  produced.  In  numbers  also 
the  same  law  is  operative,  for  by  the  blending  of  the 
first  seven — together  with  8,  the  number  of  evolution, 
in  which  the  power  of  the  numbers  is  evolved  into  a 
higher  octave  in  the  same  way  that  the  colors  are  lifted 
into  a  higher  octave  by  the  admixture  of  white,  and  9 
(black)  the  number  of  Initiation — are  all  numbers  pro- 
duced. 

In  the  musical  scale  we  again  find  this  corre- 
spondence, there  being  seven  notes,  the  eighth  or 
repeated  note  being  the  point  of  evolution  into  the  next 
octave.  The  sharps  raise  the  tones  while  the  flats  deepen 
them.  The  pause  or  interval  in  which  the  one  octave  dies 
and  the  new  is  born  is  comparable  to  9  in  number  or 
black  in  color.  Although  on  earth  this  pause  seems  to 
be  silence,  yet  in  reality,  upon  the  spiritual-plane,  it 
is  a  definite  tone  which  comprises  all  preceding  tones 
and  may  be  called  the  assimilation  of  tones,  just  as 
black  swallows  up  all  colors  yet  on  earth  is  no  color. 


360  The  Voice  of  Isis 

The  seven  colors  are  born  from  the  pure  white  light 
(or  no  color  on  the  physical-plane),  which  in  turn 
is  born  from  darkness  (black).  Hence  black  and 
white  in  essence  are  one  and  the  same  thing,  the  two 
ends  of  the  Divine  Spectrum,  with  all  the  manifesta- 
tions of  color  as  vibratory  steps  between  them.  Pure 
white  is  not  known  on  earth,  what  appears  as  white 
always  being  tinged  with  yellow,  blue  or  sometimes 
violet.  "According  to  the  tenets  of  Eastern  Occultism, 
Darkness  is  the  one  true  actuality,  the  basis  and  root 
of  Light,  without  which  the  latter  could  never  manifest 
itself  or  even  exist.  Light  is  matter,  and  Darkness 
pure  spirit.  .  .  .  Even  in  the  mind-baffling  and 
science-harassing  Genesis,  Light  is  created  out  of 
Darkness — ('and  Darkness  was  upon  the  face  of  the 
deep') — and  not  vice  versa.  In  him  (in  darkness) 
was  life ;  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men/  >?1  On  earth 
all  colors  are  swallowed  up  in  black,  for  in  black  no 
colors  are  visible,  while  all  colors  live  in  white.  Black 
and  white  are  represented  by  the  straight,  vertical  line, 
which  after  its  descent  to  earth  passes  through  various 
geometrical  forms,  the  first  of  which  is  the  triangle, 
composed  of  the  three  primary  creative  rays,  their 
numbers  being  3,  5  and  7. 

Red  is  the  key-note  of  physical  man  and  his  evolu- 
tion, and  its  rate  of  vibration  is  the  slowest  of  the 
three  primary  colors.  Being  the  most  physical,  it 
lends  its  influence  to  all  the  others,  yet  within  it  are 
the  potencies  of  all.  It  is  a  masculine,  not  a  feminine 
color,  although  in  a  certain  sense  all  three  primary 
colors  may  be  called  "mother  colors"  in  the  same  way 
that  the  three  letters  .of  the  Hebrew  alphabet — Aleph, 
Mem  and  Shin — are  called  "mother  letters,"  and  with 
much  the  same  meaning.  The  Hierarchy  of  the  Red 

1  Thy  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky,  Vol.  I,  p.  98. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  361 

Ray1  is  the  one  now  manifesting  on  earth,  and  when 
man  has  evolved  beyond  red,  in  all  its  varied  shades, 
he  will  have  become  something  more  than  what  is 
known  to-day  as  man.  Within  this  Red  Ray,  however, 
all  the  colors  manifest  as  sub-rays,  more  or  less  tinged 
with  red.  All  colors  are  raised  to  a  higher  vibration  by 
the  pure  white  light  of  Spirit  shining  through  them. 
Hence  evolution  through  the  Red  Ray  is  accom- 
plished by  the  lightening  and  added  brilliancy  of  its 
shades.  For  instance  a  pale  rose-pink  is  the  lightest 
expression  of  red,  while  the  red  of  venous  blood  is  its 
darkest. 

Red  is  the  color  of  the  vehicle  of  the  life-force 
but  not  of  the  life- force  itself  (Prana)  which  is  orange. 
Therefore,  the  blood  through  which  the  life-force 
manifests  is  red.  Almost  everything  that  grows,  just  as 
it  pushes  up  through  the  soil,  shows  a  red  or  pink 
surface,  which  later  changes  to  green.  All  red 
flowers,  fruits,  grains,  vegetables  and  meats  tend  to 
warm  and  enrich  the  blood  and  strengthen  the  physi- 
cal body.  Some  of  the  lower  aspects  of  red  are 
warmth,  life,  passion  and  war,  while  its  higher  aspects 
are  strength,  courage  and  love.  The  planet  correspond- 
ing to  the  red  ray  is  Mars ;  its  metal  iron. 

Just  as  the  Soul  is  the  vehicle  through  which  the 
Spirit  manifests,  so  is  yellow  the  vehicle  through 
which  the  pure  spiritual  light  manifests.  Pure  yellow  is 
therefore  the  Soul-color,  and  according  to  its  brilliancy 
does  it  show  forth  the  overshadowing  white  light  of 
Spirit.  It  is  the  messenger  of  the  gods,  for  it  governs 
the  psychic  powers  by  which  the  inspiration  of  the  gods 
reaches  the  human  mind.  This  is  symbolized  by  the 
customary  use  of  yellow  or  gold  hangings  upon  the 
altar  and  gold  fringe  or  embroidery  on  the  altar  cloth 
and  by  the  flame  of  the  sacerdotal  candles ;  for  yellow 

iSe*  Chapter  XIII. 


362  The  Voice  of  Isis 

is  the  vehicle  of  the  ray  of  pure  Spirit  or  the  Flame. 
It  is  the  color  which  lends  to  all  other  colors  their 
spiritual  significance.  All  yellow  flowers  and  foods 
are  vehicles  through  which  psychic  force  can  enter 
the  body  to  strengthen  the  psychic  currents.  A  free 
use  of  yellow  corn-meal  in  the  diet  and  corn-water  as 
a  drink  frequently  proves  a  wonderful  tonic,  if  not 
a  cure,  for  certain  psychic  disorders.  Its  planet  is 
Mercury,  and  its  metal  also. 

Blue  is  the  truly  feminine  color.  It  is  the  color  of 
the  auric  envelop  and  of  the  firmament  which  forms 
the  blue  arch  of  heaven,  which  shuts  it  in  and  protects 
it.  It  is  inspiring  and  uplifting;  for  the  firmament  is 
studded  with  stars,  which  lift  the  thoughts  above 
mundane  things  to  other  worlds.  This  is  the  office 
of  blue  wherever  found  in  Nature,  to  inspire,  uplift, 
sooth,  calm  and  comfort.  In  all  its  meanings  it  is 
the  opposite  or  complementary  of  red,  while  yellow 
lends  its  force  to  both.  Blue  being  the  color  of  the 
auric  zone  is  the  color  of  the  Mother-principle  which 
encloses,  enwraps,  spiritualizes.  All  blue  flowers 
would  have  a  tendency  to  allay  fevers,  cool  and  com- 
fort. Its  corresponding  planet  is  Jupiter;  its  metals 
tin  and  aluminum. 

Of  the  supplementary  colors,  orange  is  the  color 
of  the  pranic  life-force  that  flows  in  the  blood.  It 
is  a  cheering,  warming,  forceful  color  having  for  its 
planet  the  sun,  the  symbol  of  life  physically  and 
spiritually.  Red  and  orange  are  the  two  most  mascu- 
line colors,  the  one  being  the  blood  and  the  other 
the  vital  life-force  in  the  blood.  All  orange  flowers 
and  foods  contain  an  exceptional  amount  of  life-force, 
and  wherever  orange  is  found  in  Nature  it  is  vibrant 
with  life-force.  Its  corresponding  metal  is  gold. 
And  because  this  metal  absorbs  and  focuses  the  sun- 


The  Voice  of  Isis  363 

force  it  was  used  to  cover  the  roofs  of  many  ancient 
temples,  and  for  vessels  used  in  certain  sacred  services. 
It  is  pertinent  to  the  times  to  note  that  this  highest 
metal,  like  the  highest  spiritual  concepts,  is  now  de- 
based and  used  for  barter. 

Green  is  a  feminine  color,  the  middle  note  in  Nature, 
F  natural  or  fa,  the  middle  principle  between  the  mate- 
rial and  the  spiritual.  When  Nature  strikes  her  true 
note  and  throws  out  her  cheering  green  in  the  Spring 
it  penetrates  into  the  hearts  of  men  and  awakens  in 
them  a  desire  to  grow,  to  do,  to  create,  to  accomplish. 
No  one  thinks  of  calling  a  tree  spiritual,  yet  who  can 
look  up  into  the  waving  green  branches  of  a  noble 
tree  and  not  have  his  Soul  lifted  up  from  Nature  to 
Super-Nature?  Green  is  the  color  of  the  human  in- 
tellect (lower  manas) ,  the  highest  point  attainable  by 
physical  man  and  Nature.  It  is  the  key-note  of  the 
physical-plane,  hence  is  always  restful  and  pleasing  to 
man.  It  is  the  color  of  worldly  power  and  the  suc- 
cess due  to  intellectual  attainments,  its  lower  aspects 
manifesting  as  envy,  greed,  etc.  It  is  a  necessary 
link  between  Nature  and  Super-Nature,  therefore^do 
not  despise  this  color  or  the  humble  works  of  Nature, 
or  even  a  perfect  animal-soul,  for  without  its  perfect 
functioning,  there  would  be  no  stable  basis  upon  which 
and  through  which  the  higher  forces  could  act. 
There  have  been  many  ridiculous  theories  advanced  as 
to  why  Nature  is  green,  some  holding  that  it  is  due 
to  yellow  sun-light  pouring  through  blue  ether,  etc.,  but 
were  this  true  everything  would  be  green.  Nature 
is  green  because  green  is  the  point  or  key-note  in  the 
vibratory  scale  to  which  physical  Nature  upon  this 
planet  responds,  and  to  which  it  has  evolved.  Its 
planet  is  Saturn,  the  Binder  and  also  the  Reaper,  he 
who  limits  physical  manifestation  and  reaps  from  it 


364  The  Voice  of  Isis 

the  seed  of  spiritual  attainment.  Saturn  is  the  ruler 
of  the  earth  insofar  as  the  Saturn-force  must  be  faced 
and  conquered  on  this  planet.  Its  metal  is  lead. 

Indigo  is  by  no  means  blue,  as  so  many  mis-call  it, 
but  is  a  color  by  itself.  It  represents  Spiritual  Mind, 
the  power  of  the  spiritual-plane  brought  to  earth  and 
manifested  through  physical  man,  as  contrasted  with 
human  mind  or  intellect.  It  is  human  intellect  joined 
to  Soul  and  permeated  by  Spirit,  forming  the  higher 
triad  or  incarnating  Ego.  While  green  represents  the 
highest  point  to  which  physical  Nature  and  the  intellect 
of  man  can  reach,  indigo  represents  this  same  intellect 
overshadowed  and  inspired  by  something  from  above, 
the  Divine  Mind.  It  is  the  power  of  inspiration  (higher 
manas),  which  enables  man  to  project  his  consciousness 
into  realms  above  those  capable  of  being  reached  by  the 
intellect  alone.  Like  its  ruling  planet,  Venus,  indigo  has 
its  two  aspects.  For  while  it  always  represents  Spiritual 
Mind,  it  is  often  submerged  and  held  down  to  worldly 
concerns  in  spite  of  its  ability  to  soar  into  the  Uni- 
versal Mind  and  bring  to  man  Divine  Thought.  All 
indigo  color  in  Nature,  if  properly  used,  is  helpful 
toward  the  development  of  this  god-like  power  of  lift- 
ing the  human  consciousness  above  that  of  the  intellect. 
Its  metal  is  copper. 

Violet  is  not  an  earthly  color.  True  violet  is  not  a 
mixture  of  red  and  blue — although  it  is  usually  repre- 
sented on  earth  by  such  a  mixture — but  is  a  color 
apart  which  belongs  altogether  to  the  astral-plane,  its 
physical  counterpart  being  but  a  reflection.  It  is  said 
to  be  ruled  by  the  moon,  yet  not  really  by  the  moon, 
even  though  moonlight  contains  a  high  percentage 
of  violet  and  ultra-violet  rays,  for  true  violet  comes 
from  the  Mystery  Planet  concealed  from  physical 


The  Voice  of  Isis  365 

sight  by  the  corpse1  of  the  old  moon,  which  will  grad- 
ually disappear  during  the  Sixth  Great  Race,  allow- 
ing the  Mystery  Planet  to  be  revealed  to  the  Seventh 
Great  Race.  The  potency  and  power  of  violet  is  due 
to  the  rays  of  this  Mystery  Planet  penetrating  to 
earth  and  creating  the  astral  body,  the  body  of  sensa- 
tion in  which  the  inner  forces  work.  Where  violet 
is  found  in  Nature  it  tends  to  focus  the  astral  currents 
and  act  on  astral  matter.  In  fact  it  has  the  myste- 
rious power  of  holding  the  potency  of  the  astral  and 
commanding  its  forces.  And  as  the  astral  body  of 
all  things  is  the  pattern  of  the  physical,  the  violet  ray 
can  be  utilized  in  perfecting  an  astral  pattern  of  a 
superior  form,  and  in  destroying  harmful  astral  mat- 
ter.2 Violet  has  the  power  of  guarding  the  astral,  ad- 
mitting the  helpful  and  excluding  the  harmful  astral 
forces.  It  is  ruled  by  the  moon  and  its  metal  is  silver. 
All  other  colors  are  mixtures  or  shades,  or  rates  of 
vibration  between  these  seven  colors,  together  with 
black  and  white. 

Among  numbers  O  symbolizes  limitless  time  in 
eternity,  unmanifested  Deity.  Its  geometrical  form  is 
the  circle  from  which  all  numbers  are  born. 

1  is  unity,  creative  force,  life,  the  Father-Mother- 
Son,  descending  to  earth  in  an  undifferentiated  state. 
Its  geometrical  form  is  O  the  dot  within  the  O  cr 
the  germinal  point  of  the  mundane  egg,  the  nucleus  in 
the  cell. 

2  is  separation,  the  Father  separates  from  the  Mother 
and  becomes  mundane.     The  dot  cannot  manifest  on 
earth    without    having  two    dimensions,  length    and 
breadth,  and  two  poles,  positive  and  negative,  mascu- 

1  Tt  is  well  known  that  our  present  moon  is  but  a  corpse,  giving  off 
nothing  but  corpse-like  emanations,  hence,  its  malefic  aspects. 

-  The   violet   and   ultra-violet   rays   are  destructive  to  bacterial   organ- 


366  The  Voice  of  Isis 

line  and  feminine.  It  is  represented  by  two  geometri- 
cal forms,  either  the  straight  vertical  line  |  or  the  dot 
with  two  lines  of  force  emerging  from  it,  —  both  forms 
commonly  found  in  Nature.1 

3  is  the  Trinity,   sacred  and  divine  because  it   is 
the  Father,  the  Mother  and  the  Son  manifesting  in 
humanity,   or  man  and  woman  united  in  God.     Its 
geometrical  form  is  the  triangle.  A 

4  is  the  completion  of  physical  creation,  the  most 
perfect  of  mundane  numbers  as  it  holds  within  itself 
the  power  of   10,    1+2+3+4=10.     Its   geometrical 
form  is  the  square,  D,  the  base  of  the  pyramid. 

5  represents  humanity  or  man,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  mystical  of  numbers ;  for  man  is  the  climax  of 
physical  evolution,  the  crowning  point  of  all  the  lower 
kingdoms    and   the    forerunner    and  image    of    God. 
"Man    is    the    universally    structured   type.      In    one 
aspect  all  lower  types  rise  toward  man  and  are  com- 
pleted in  him.     In  another  aspect  the  specialties  of 
type  break  up  and   distribute   downward   from   man 
to  form  the  lower  kingdoms  of  life,  as  his  proper  base 
and  support.     Moreover,  man  is  the  only  species  that 
stands  erect,  with  the  cerebrum  poised  at  right  angles 
to  the  spine;  the  only,  species  that  utilizes  two  limbs 
from  the  function  of  locomotion  for  the  exclusive  ser- 
vice of  the  mind  and  brain;  the  only  species  whose 
length  of  the  extended  hands  and  arms  is  just  equal 
to  the  height  of  the  body;  the  only  species  in  which 
the  segments  of  the  spine  are  the  measures  of  the 
angles  of  the  cube;  the  only  species  with  a  spoken 
language,  an  alphabet,  a  recorded  history,  and  a  pros- 
pectice  future."  2      5  is  also  the  number  of  the  digits 
of  man's  hands.     While  some  animals  (anthropoids) 

1  The  primitive  streak  emerging  from  the  nucleus  in  the  embryo,  etc. 
8  The    Romance     of    Revelation     through    Natural    History.       Edw. 
Whipple. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  367 

have  five  digits,  still  the  thumb,  which  in  man  is  the 
great  factor  in  the  usefulness  of  the  hand,  is  but  rudi- 
mentary, and  in  primitive  man  noticeably  undeveloped. 
Thus  the  size  and  shape  of  the  thumb  becomes  an 
index  to  the  stage  of  man's  evolution.  It  marks  the 
difference  between  anthropos  and  anthropoid.  Its  geo- 
metrical figure  is  that  formed  by  man,  his  two  feet 
outspread,  his  arms  outstretched  and  his  head  upright 
forming  the  five-pointed  star  ^  ,  the  magic  pentagram. 
6  is  man  with  something  else  added  or  man  con- 
sidered as  the  Lord  of  Creation.  6  is  primarily  the 
number  of  Nature.  It  is  the  number  of  The  Christ- 
principle,  but  only  as  it  pertains  to  the  manifestation 
of  that  Essence  of  Universal  Power  in  Nature.  Hence, 
6  pertains  to  man's  powers  over  Nature.  Its  geo- 
metrical figure  is  the  interlaced  triangles.  The  tri- 
angle pointing  upward  is  light,  signifying  .  man's 
Divine  nature  and  his  ability  to  receive  from  the  Divine. 
The  one  pointing  downward  is  dark,  signifying  his 
physical  nature.  The  two  intertwined  symbolize  the 
fact  that  only  by  the  perfect  blending  of  these  two 
natures  can  man  attain  Wisdom.  Its  symbol  is  $ 
The  interlaced  triangles  form  the  foundation  stone 
of  the  objective  universe.  Man  can  only  attain  to 
Wisdom  as  he  can  correlate  his  consciousness  with 
Nature. 

By  some  6  is  called  the  number  of  unrest  and  in- 
completeness. This  is  true  in  the  sense  that  it  is 
the  unrest  of  Nature  ever  becoming,  ever  changing 
in  form  that  the  Great  Creative  Principle,  The  Christos, 
many  manifest  more  fully.  6  is  formed  by  a  circle — 
that  which  is  unmanifested — with  a  line  running  up- 
ward, symbolizing  the  unrest  of  a  determined  aspira- 
tion reaching  out  to  and  trying  to  manifest  ever  greater 
degrees  of  Divinity. 


368  The  Voice  of  Isis 

7  is  the  most  sacred  of  all  numbers,  for  it  represents 
the  point  in  man's  evolution  where  he  becomes  more 
than  man.     Its  symbol  is  the  interlaced  triangles  with 
the  dot  in  the  center,  the  dot  being  the  same  germinal 
point  or  creative  center  found  in  the  mundane  egg 
which  has  now  manifested  through  Nature  and  man. 
In  other  words,  it  is  the  perfect  blending  of  the  4  and 
the  3,  the  human  and  the  Divine.     The  3  represents 
fire  while  4  symbolizes  the  earth.     Thus  3  and  4  or 
fire  and  earth  must  be  blended  by  the  great  Mother- 
principle  water,  ere  creation  can  be  perfected.     This 
symbol  is  called  the  Seal  of  Solomon  or  Wisdom   $ 

8  is  the  number  of  evolution  or  the  spiral  motion 
of  cycles,  the  Breath  of  the  Cosmos.     Its  symbol  is 
two  ciphers  touching  and  blending  oo      8  is  also  the 
double  square,  or  the  foundation-stone  with  the  corner- 
stone laid,  upon  which  the  higher  life  shall  be  erected. 

9  is  the  number  of  Initiation.     It  is  that  most  mys- 
terious number  which  never  changes.    No  matter  how 
multiplied  or  added  the  sum  of  the  resulting  digits 
will  always  equal  9  i.  e.t  9+9=18=9  or  3  x  9=27=9 
etc.     In  it  all  numbers  are  swallowed  up  to  emerge 
once  more  in  a  new  cycle  10.     Thus  it  is  truly  the 
number  of  initiation,   for  the  various  initiations  are 
steps  in  the  Soul-life.    No  matter  how  you  have  multi- 
plied sensation,  experiences,  knowledge  or  attainment 
you  cannot  pass  your  Great  Initiation  until  you  have 
returned  to  that  from  which  you  started,  just  as  all 
multiples  of  9  return  to  9.     9  is  also  3  x  3  or  the 
trinity  of  trinities,  Nature,  Man  and  God. 

According  to  Hermetic  philosophy,  it  stands  for  the 
Lamp  of  Hermes,  the  Mantle  of  Apollonius  and  the 
Staff  of  the  Patriarchs.  "Hermes  has  made  it  the 
number  of  initiation,  because  the  initiate  reigns  over 
superstition  and  by  superstition,  and  alone  can  advance 


The  Voice  of  Isis  369 

through  the  darkness,  leaning  on  his  staff,  enveloped  in 
his  mantle,  and  lighted  by  his  lamp."  l 

In  9  we  find  again  the  cipher  with  which  we  started, 
but  with  a  straight  line  descending  from  it.  Later, 
when  the  Initiation  is  completed,  this  line  will  take  its 
place  to  the  left  of  the  cipher  making  10,  completing 
the  cycle  and  making  man  more  than  man. 

All  even  numbers  are  mundane  and  pertain  to 
the  physical-plane,  while  all  odd  numbers  are  Divine. 
They  contain  something  which  cannot  be  measured 
by  the  two  forces,  positive  and  negative,  always  operat- 
ive on  the  physical-plane.  These  are  the  principal 
meanings  of  numbers,  all  others  must  be  determined  by 
the  Law  of  Correspondences. 

The  lesson  to  be  learned  from  these  examples  of  the 
One  Law  is  the  importance  of  little  things,  for  to 
the  occultist  there  are  no  little  things.  Everything 
that  is,  every  thought,  word  and  deed,  Has  its 
sound,  number,  color  and  form.  These  letters  of 
Nature's  Mystic  Alphabet  are  always  creating — spell- 
ing out  words,  which  words  are  telling  the  story  of 
your  life,  writing  it  indelibly  upon  your  countenance 
and  upon  the  everlasting  akashic  records.  Strive, 
therefore,  to  write  the  history  of  this  day  of  life  in 
letters  of  gold.  Let  all  your  colors  be  pure,  bright  and 
radiant ;  for  whether  you  realize  it  or  not,  your  colors 
are  continually  emanating  from  you  and  are  emplant- 
ing  your  history  on  every  person  and  thing  you  come 
in  contact  with.  They  also  bring  back  to  you  their 
physical  results  which  are  built  into  your  form  so  that, 
in  very  truth,  your  physical  body — as  well  as  the 
spiritual,  mental  and  astral — is  the  result  of  your 
thoughts.  Truly  is  it  said  of  man,  "As  he  thinketh 
in  his  heart,  so  is  he." 

1  Transctndental  Magic,  Levi,  p.  87. 

NOTE. — We  request  our  students  not  to  ask  us  to  give  their  color 
or  key-note,  for  until  they  set  to  work  diligently  to  find  out  for  them- 
selves it  cannot  be  piven  to  them.  Until  they  have  reached  a  stage 
of  positiveness  and  have  grasped  some  realization  of  how  to  seek 
within,  their  colors  are  too  indistinct  and  changeable  to  be  truthfully 
described. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE  WORD. 

"And  the  Word  was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt 
among  us,  (and  we  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as 
of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,)  full  of  grace 
and  truth."— St.  John,  I,  14. 

"By  the  word  of  the  Lord  were  the  heavens 
made ;  and  the  host  of  them  by  the  breath  of  his 
mouth."— Psalms  XXXIII,  6. 

As  humanity  advances  a  point  is  reached  where 
there  is  a  widespread  recognition  of  an  esoteric  teach- 
ing beneath  the  letter  of  the  law,  and  consequently 
many  scholars  are  digging  with  vandal  hands  into  the 
sacred  Mysteries,  and,  without  heeding  the  advice  of 
the  Sages,  are  flinging  to  the  world  all  sorts  of  scholas- 
tic explanations,  calculated  rather  to  bring  prestige  to 
themselves  than  in  any  way  to  elucidate  the  Mysteries 
for  the  good  of  humanity.  The  day  has  passed  when 
the  majority  of  mankind  is  content  to  accept  any  trans- 
lation of  the  Bible  as  literally  true,  for,  like  all  scrip- 
tures, its  teachings  are  given  by  means  of  parables 
and  allegories,  both  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  set- 
ting forth  the  vital  truths,  in  symbolic  language;  that 
is,  the  inner  and  deeper  truths  are  veiled  under  symbols 
which  of  themselves  inculcate  a  complete  moral  code, 
but  which  are  not  meant  to  be  taken  literally. 

From  the  beginning  there  has  always  existed  an  exo- 
teric teaching  understood  by  the  multitude,  and  an  eso- 
teric teaching  given  only  to  the  few  whose  training  has 
fitted  them  to  understand  it.  And  in  this  cycle  of 
spiritual  unfoldment,  it  is  advisable  that  a  few  of 
these  Mysteries  be  at  least  partially  unveiled,  that  the 
spiritual  discernment  of  the  few  may  lead  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  many. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  371 

The  Word  is  the  voice  of  the  Higher  Self — The 
Christ  within1 — and  is  the  personal  God  of  each  indi- 
vidual, because  the  fleeting  human  personality  is  but  the 
shadow  cast  by  that  which  is  a  direct  Ray  from  the 
Divine — The  Christ  within.  The  sun  forever  keeps 
its  appointed  place  in  the  heavens,  but  its  rays  reach 
and  penetrate  every  portion  of  the  earth.  Without 
those  rays  nothing  could  be  brought  forth  upon  the 
earth,  yet  we  do  not  deny  that  the  rays  are  the  sun 
although  we  know  the  sun  is  still  in  the  heavens.  Just 
so  the  Higher  Self  is  a  Ray  from  the  Infinite,  without 
which  nothing  spiritual  can  be  brought  forth  in  animal 
man.  This  Higher  Self  is  dual:  one  with  God,  yet  its 
earthly  shadow — the  human  personality — is  but  an 
Emanation  or  Spark  of  the  Higher  Self  clothed  in 
atoms  of  physical  matter,  just  as  the  sunbeam  clothes 
itself  in  a  growing  plant  and  brings  forth  the 
perfected  fruit.  Thus  the  Higher  Self  is  both  the 
Father-in-heaven  and  The  Christ  within  or  the  sun 
in  the  heavens  and  the  sunbeam  imprisoned  within 
the  fruit. 

The  Higher  Self  overshadows  the  personality,  ever 
striving  to  guide  and  teach  it  that  it  may  bring  forth 
the  Spiritual  Man — its  fruit.  This  guidance  is  accom- 
plished in  many  ways ;  in  dreams  and  visions,  by  the 
Still  Small  Voice — called  by  many  the  conscience — 
or,  if  these  wavs  fail  to  impress  the  dense  atoms  of  the 
physical  brain,  the  personality  is  permitted  to  follow 
the  dictates  of  its  own  rebellious  animal  will  and  learn 
through  bitter  experience  to  listen  to  and  obey  the  dic- 
tates of  the  Word  forever  being  spoken  within.  "Let 
me  cease,  O  thou  Perfectly  Awakened,  to  remain  as  an 
Ape  in  the  World-forest,  forever  ascending  and  de- 
scending in  search  of  the  fruits  of  folly/'2  Ordinarily 

1  See  the  Chapter  on  The  Wisdom  Religion. 

2  Dhammapada. 


372  The  Voice  of  Isis 

many,  many  lives  are  spent  in  sowing  the  seeds  of  dis- 
obedience and  reaping  the  harvest  of  suffering  ere  the 
personality  will  heed  the  guidance  of  the  Divine. 

This  overshadowing  Father-in-heaven  is  called  by 
some  the  Over-soul  and  by  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
the  Guardian  Angel  whose  power  over  the  personality 
is  exerted  through  the  Still  Small  Voice.  But  in  reality 
this  Guardian  is  the  Real  Self — the  God  within,  higher 
manas  and  Buddhi  permeated  by  Atma — of  whom 
the  various  personalities  are  but  temporary  garments 
worn  for  certain  occasions  and  for  certain  purposes, 
but  all  of  which  are  thrown  off  and  disintegrated  when 
the  Real  Self  is  clothed  with  immortality,  just  as  are 
the  blossoms  when  the  sunbeam  clothes  itself  in  the 
fruit.  Science  has  demonstrated  that  the  fruit  is 
all  imprisoned  sunshine  and  water  (the  Father-  and 
Mother-forces — the  dual  aspects  of  the  Creative  Force) 
except  a  small  residue  of  earthy  salts  left  behind  as 
ash.  Just  so  will  the  Word  gradually  clothe  itself 
in  spiritualized  matter  with  but  a  modicum  of  earth. 

One  phase  of  this  mystery  is  that  as  the  disciple 
advances  along  the  Path  to  Mastery,  the  Word  be- 
comes manifested  to  the  human  consciousness  for  pur- 
poses of  revelation.  Even  if  it  be  but  for  a  momentary 
flash  that  experience  is  evidence  of  an  advanced  step. 
Ultimately  the  manifestation  of  the  Word  or  the  Christ- 
consciousness  will  become  continuous,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  Master  Jesus  who  said :  "I  and  my  Father  are 
one,"  meaning  that  His  personal  human  consciousness 
was  so  blended  with  the  Divine  that  at  all  times  He 
could  function  in  the  consciousness  of  His  Father-in- 
heaven.  When  this  point  is  reached  the  Word  is  con- 
sciously incarnated  in  the  flesh,  or  the  fruit  is  per- 
fected. 

This   Christ-consciousness  at   first  may  come  only 


The  Voice  of  Isis  373 

in  moments  of  extreme  spiritual  exaltation  or  ecstasy, 
when  the  human  consciousness  is  transcended.  Plo- 
tinus  defines  this  as :  "The  liberation  of  the  mind  from 
its  finite  consciousness,  becoming  one  and  identified 
with  the  Infinite."  By  many  teachers  this  is  called 
Cosmic-consciousness,  but  Cosmic-consciousness  is  far 
more  all-embracing,  for  it  is  the  power  to  enter  into 
and  partake  of  the  consciousness  of  everything  in 
the  Cosmos,  from  atom  to  God. 

To  one  who  has  obtained  perfect  mastery  over  the 
lower  personality,  the  Father  (the  Higher  Self)  and 
the  Son  (the  personality)  have  become  one,  and  the 
stream  of  Divine  Wisdom  flows  uninterruptedly 
through  both.  Physiologically  speaking,  this  means 
that  by  repeated  victories  of  the  Word  over  the  flesh, 
through  the  fulfilling  of  the  Law  in  many  lives,  the 
Higher  Self  has  gradually  gained  increasing  power 
over  its  physical  vehicles  and  at  last  has  built  up,  atom 
by  atom,  a  fleshly  body  so  spiritualized  that  the  atoms 
of  its  physical  brain  readily  respond  to  the  vibrations 
of  the  Christ-consciousness,  thus  enabling  the  Word 
to  dwell  in  the  flesh  among  men,  or  the  Son  to  become 
one  with  the  Father.  The  human  personality  by 
schooling  itself  to  listen  to  and  obey  the  Inner  Voice 
at  last  so  stills  the  vibrations  of  the  human  intellect  that 
the  Word  is  an  infallible  and  ever  present  Guide  in  the 
smallest  detail  of  the  earth  life.  In  other  words,  the 
flesh,  which  has  so  long  warred  against  the  Spirit, 
has  become  the  willing  and  obedient  servant,  eager 
to  listen  to  and  carry  out  the  will  of  the  Father  on 
earth  even  as  it  is  done  in  heaven. 

Those  who  find  it  difficult  to  distinguish  between  the 
voice  of  the  Higher  Self  (conscience)  and  the  desires 
of  the  human  personality  can  readily  determine  which 
is  speaking  if  they  will  remember  that  when  they  ask 


374  The  Voice  of  Isis 

in  the  Silence  for  guidance,  and  put  themselves  in  a 
listening  attitude  of  Soul,  the  reply  will  come  either 
audibly  or  as  a  mental  impression,  but  it  will  always 
come  as  a  plain  statement,  clearly  and  concisely,  re- 
quiring neither  argument  nor  justification.  The  in- 
stant you  begin  to  argue  with  yourself,  or  need  to 
justify  your  decision,  know  well  that  you  are  not  heed- 
ing the  voice  of  your  Father-in-heaven,  but  are  follow- 
ing the  wisdom  of  the  human  intellect  or  catering  to 
the  human  desires.  The  personal  self  always  endea- 
vors to  justify  its  decisions  with  most  plausible  argu- 
ments, while  the  Higher  Self  simply  asserts  a  fact  or 
commands. 

The  Word  or  the  God  within  is  Divine  Essence  or 
Love,  for  "God  is  love."  The  "lost  word"  in  one  sense, 
is  simply  the  lost  power  of  hearing  the  voice  of  the 
Father-in-heaven  or  realizing  and  correlating  with  The 
Christ  within.  The  Wisdom  Religion,  as  set  forth  in 
the  Christian  Bible  while  recognizing  Gods,  Angels, 
Seraphim  and  Cherubim  and  Spiritual  Beings  of  every 
kind,  no  one  would  think  of  calling  idolatrous.  The 
recognition  of  all  these  manifestations  of  Deity  in  no 
way  conflicts  with  the  injunction,  "Thou  shalt  have  no 
other  Gods  before  me,"  for  it  recognizes  the  divine 
unity  of  all.  In  its  esoteric  teaching  it  helps  man  to 
understand  the  deep,  underlying  meaning  of  this  unity 
and  to  worship  Divine  Love,  which  is  the  God  before 
whom  alone  man  shall  have  no  other  and  which  alone 
he  must  skeeancl  find  in  all  things ;  firstly,  in  himself, 
he  must  seek  and  find  in  all  things ;  firstly,  in  himself, 
then,  by  a  recognition  of  his  oneness  with  all  that  is, 
must  find  Him  in  all  things.  He  must  reverence,  but 
never  worship  or  idolize,  any  manifestations  of  Him, 
be  they  Planetary  Angels,  Seraphims,  Devas,  Avatara, 
Masters  or  what  not,  nor  must  he  worship  Him  as  his 


The  Voice  of  Isis  375 

own  personal  God — the  Word  incarnate  in  him — but 
must  learn  to  separate  the  Deity  from  His  manifesta- 
tions and  listen  to  the  voice  of  the  One  God — Divine 
Love — of  which  alone  it  is  said,  "I  am  the  Lord  thy 
God."  As  Epicurus  said:  "The  Gods  exist  but  they 
are  not  what  the  multitude  suppose  them  to  be.  He  is 
not  an  infidel  or  atheist  who  denies  the  existence  of 
Gods  whom  the  multitudes  worship,  but  he  is  such  who 
fastens  on  the  Gods  the  opinions  of  the  multitude." 
Only  they  are  heathen  who  refuse  to  recognize  and 
worship  Divine  Love  or  the  Word  made  flesh. 

Also  bear  in  mind  the  creative  aspect  of  the  Word. 
We  read  much  of  the  limitless  power  of  the  Word 
properly  pronounced,  and  it  is  indeed  all  true,  but  be- 
fore man  can  pronounce  it  he  must  gain  the  power  of 
expressing  every  tone  and  semi-tone  in  Nature,  for 
only  then  can  the  creative  Word  be  sounded.  This 
creative  Word  is  continually  pronounced  within  him 
by  his  Father-in-heaven — for  it  is  this  Word  pro- 
nounced within  him  that  is  bringing  forth  his  spiritual 
life — but  ere  he  can  pronounce  it  for  himself  man 
must  become  more  than  man. 

All  created  things  are  the  expression  of  coarser  or 
finer  vibrations,  hence  the  Voice  of  Conscience  (the 
Word),  manifesting  through  exceedingly  high  and 
fine  vibrations,  finds  it  difficult  to  call  forth  a  response 
from  a  mind  given  over  entirely  to  worldly  affairs  and 
consequently  attuned  to  a  much  lower  rate  of  vibra- 
tion. But  if  the  Voice  is  listened  for  and  an  effort  is 
made  to  follow  its  guidance,  it  has  the  power  to  create 
conditions  in  which  it  can  manifest  more  plainly.  Since 
during  involution  "the  word  of  the  Lord"  (or  Divine 
Law),  penetrating  through  all  the  spheres,  created  the 
heavens  (firmament)  and  the  earth  and  thereby  in- 
corporated itself  within  every  particle  of  matter  com- 


376  The  Voice  of  Isis 

posing  them,  so,  during  evolution,  must  it  evolve  back 
to  its  source,  lifting  up  or  redeeming  all  through  which 
it  has  manifested,  thus  creating  a  "new  heaven  and  a 
new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness." 

The  creative  Word  manifests  through  Nature  as 
tone,  color,  form  and  number,  just  as  a  written  word 
is  composed  of  numbers,  letters  (symbols),  syllables 
and  the  meaning  expressed.  Hence,  every  tone  in 
Nature,  be  it  song  of  bird,  roar  of  beast,  or  thunder 
of  heaven,  be  it  tinkle  of  fountain,  surge  of  ocean  or 
rustle  of  leafy  boughs,  is  an  expression  of  the  Word. 
And  not  a  note  in  Nature  could  be  left  out  and  the 
creative  Word  be  complete.  Could  man  respond  to  and 
manifest  his  true  vibration  (his  key-note)  in  the  cre- 
ative Word  with  the  single-mindedness  of  Nature  all 
would  be  peace,  harmony  and  love.  Man  alone  strikes 
a  discordant  note,  not  only  in  himself,  but  also  in  the 
noises  of  his  creations,  factory  whistles,  street  noises, 
etc.  And  the  effect  of  this  inharmony  is  impressed  upon 
all  creation  so  that  "Thorns  also  and  thistles  shall  it 
bring  forth  to  thee." 

As  man  advances  and  learns  to  listen  to  the  Still 
Small  Voice  and  as  the  Word  unfolds  within  his  heart 
and  manifests  in  his  life,  so  will  the  tones  of  his  voice 
grow  more  tender  and  loving  and  lose  their  power  to 
wound.  Thus  will  he  become  more  able  to  comfort 
and  cheer,  lead  and  command,  for  he  then  expresses 
more  of  the  creative  power  of  the  Word,  until  at  last 
the  Word  is  made  flesh  and  manifests  continually. 
This  is  the  secret  of  the  power  of  great  speakers ;  for 
they  express,  to  a  greater  or  lesser  degree,  the  crea- 
tive power  of  the  Word  and  literally  create  within  the 
minds  of  their  hearers  that  which  they  wish  to  im- 
press upon  them. 

The  pronunciation  of  the  Word  is  a  question  of 


The  Voice  of  Isis 


377 


manifesting  its  guidance  in  the  life;  for  every  discord 
in  the  life  produces  a  false  note  in  the  voice.  Strive, 
therefore,  to  be  absolutely  true  to  the  Word  and  be 
willing  to  face  yourself  and  find  and  express  Truth 
in  every  tone  and  action.  Thus  will  you  learn  to  take 
your  true  place  and  express  your  true  key-note  in  the 
grand  symphony  of  life. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

ILLUMINATION. 

"I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life:  no  man 
cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me." — St,  Matthew 
XIV-6 

"I  am  the  Ego  which  is  seated  in  the  hearts 
of  all  beings ;  I  am  the  beginning,  the  middle,  and 
the  end  of  all  existing  things." — The  Bhagavad- 
Gita,  Chapter  X. 

Pupils  are  asking  continually  for  some  formula, 
some  prescribed  "practical"  thing  to  do  to  advance 
their  spiritual  evolution,  complaining  that  they  have 
read  and  studied  all  forms  of  philosophy  and  are  now 
ready  for  something  "definite."  Because  of  this  wide- 
spread demand  there  have  sprung  up  on  every  hand 
those  who  are  professing  to  give  "practical"  direc- 
tions that  shall  lead  the  pupil  into  Illumination  and 
give  him  miraculous  powers.1  On  the  other  hand, 
an  equally  large  number  are  writing  that  they  have 
studied  various  systems,  spent  large  sums  of  money 
for  "advance  teachings,"  received  the  lessons  ot  the 
inner  section  of  many  organizations,  have  passed 
through  many  mysterious  degrees  of  various  societies 
with  high  sounding  titles  and  yet  find  their  hunger 
unappeased,  the  net  result  being  a  mass  of  so-called 
formulas  and  a  greater  amount  of  discouragement. 
Others  turn  to  the  Wisdom  Religion,  supposing  that 
it  has  to  do  with  the  development  of  psychic  powers 
and  the  performance  of  magical  rites,  but  in  truth  it  has 
primarily  to  do  with  the  development  of  The  Christ- 
force  within  and  the  showing  of  it  forth  .in  the  life.  So- 
called  magic  is  dual.  If  it  is  the  result  of  the  recogni- 

1  Some  self-styled  authorities  go  so  far  as  to  guarantee  Adeptship 
for  a  definite  sum,  or  publish  books  which  they  claim  contain  the  secret 
of  all  occult  power. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  379 

tion  and  outward  manifestation  of  The  Christ  within? 
it  is  White  Magic  and  right;  if  the  result  of  seeking 
for  power  or  personal  stature,  it  becomes  Black  Magic 
and  evil.  Therefore,  to  all  these  classes  of  seekers, 
as  well  as  to  many  other  hungry  hearts,  we  bring  the 
old,  old  message,  "I  (The  Christ  Within)  am  the 
way,  the  truth  and  the  life :  no  man  cometh  unto  the 
Father,  but  by  me." 

What  is  it  that  all  are  thus  seeking?  It  is  so-called 
Illumination,  yet  few  there  be  who  have  any  realiza- 
tion of  what  this  means.  We  have  considered  various 
phases  of  this  Illumination  in  previous  lessons,1  and 
we  will  try  herein  to  show  what  the  real  Illumination 
is  and  how  it  is  attained.  Illumination  is  the  perfect 
blending  of  the  self  with  the  Divine  or  The  Christ- 
power,  so  that  Divine  Wisdom  can  guide  every 
thought  and  act  of  the  mortal  man  and  the  Light  of 
Divinity  can  shed  its  radiance  over  the  entire  life. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  the  Bible  story  of  The 
Christ  is  the  most  complete  and  all-embracing  narra- 
tive ever  written,  not  of  the  man  Jesus  or  even  of  God, 
but  a  synthetic  picture  of  the  Son  of  God — the  emana- 
tion from  the  Father,  The  Christ-force  in  humanity  or 
the  Word  made  flesh — which  symbolizes  the  various 
steps  each  Soul  must  pass  through  and  conquer,  it 
becomes  quite  plain  that  as  this  union  with  the  Divine 
takes  place  the  life  of  the  disciple  must  manifest  Truth. 
The  whole  mysterious  transformation  must  be  a 
growth  similar  to  the  gradual  assimilation  of  the  life- 
giving  constituents  of  the  sun  by  the  plant,  until  the 
full  fruition  or  in-dwelling  of  the  life-force  is  accom- 
plished in  the  fruit.  When  we  grasp  this  thought  firmly 
we  will  understand  that  we  must  and  shall  do  the  works 
of  our  Father  in  exact  proportion  to  our  ability  to 

1  See  Chapters  XXIV,  XXIX,  etc. 


380  The  Voice  of  Isis 

make  the  correlation  with  Him,  just  as  the  plant  does 
the  works  of  its  father,  the  sun — first  as  the  blade,  then 
the  ear,  then  the  full  corn  in  the  ear.  Therefore  there 
can  be  no  rigid  observances  laid  down  for  the  attain- 
ment of  perfection  any  more  than  there  can  be  for  the 
perfection  of  every  individual  plant.  There  can,  how- 
ever, be  practices  which  develop  the  Will,  awaken  the 
Intuition  and  stimulate  Aspiration,  and  there  are  envi- 
ronments which  will  foster  spiritual  growth,  i.  e.t 
within  the  ranks  of  any  spiritual  movement  whose 
teachings  satisfy  your  Soul-hunger,  but  these  have 
been  fully  covered  in  other  lessons.1  To  the  aver- 
age twentieth  century  student  the  effort  to  conquer 
himself  is  quite  sufficient  to  develop  his  Will,  and 
the  only  stimulant  necessary  is  a  burning,  ardent  seek- 
ing for  a  realization  of  The  Christ-love.  Illumination, 
however,  can  never  be  attained  through  the  mere 
reading  of  lessons  or  the  observance  of  rules.  It 
must  be  the  result  of  a  vital  force  that  comes  into 
each  life.2  The  gardener  may  prepare  the  soil,  tend 
and  water  a  plant,  but  the  plant  itself  must  assimilate 
the  light  and  force  of  the  sun  and  literally  transmute 
them  into  living  tissue  within  its  body  ere  the  blossom 
or  the  fruit  can  appear.  So  it  is  with  the  Illumina- 
tion that  each  Soul  is  seeking.  Only  The  Christ-force, 
not  only  talked  about  and  in  a  sense  realized,  but 
literally  absorbed  and  built  into  living  tissue  in  the 
flesh,  the  mind  and  the  Spirit,  can  bring  about  this 
mystical  union.  It  is  The  Christ  and  The  Christ  alone 
who  is  "the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life." 

As  certain  plants  gather  from  the  sun-force  the 
power  to  produce  poisons,  so  can  man,  by  using  for 
his  own  personal  ends  the  godlike  powers  with  which 

1  See  Chapter  XXVII. 

8  It  is  saia  there  are  as  many  ways  of  attaining  illumination  as  there 
are  human  beings. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  381 

he  can  identify  himself,  produce  evil.  We  do  not 
create  power,  we  only  identify  our  consciousness 
with  the  Divine  which  is  all  power,  just  as  we  might 
attach  a  wire  to  a  dynamo  and  obtain  power. 
Of  the  Divine  Self  alone  it  is  said,  "All  power  is 
given  unto  thee  in  heaven  and  earth.'*  This  is  liter- 
ally true.  All  power  is  ours  when  we  identify  our- 
selves with  the  Divine,  and  the  synthesis  of  all  power 
is  the  ability  to  merge  the  personality  into  the  Divine, 
or  become  one  with  the  Father  through  The  Christ. 
This  gives  all  power  because  having  accomplished 
this  all  things  are  possible.  As  man  is  endowed  with 
free-will  he  can  choose  to  take  either  the  Right  Hand 
Path,  merge  the  human  into  the  Divine  and  use  his 
God-power  to  do  the  work  of  his  Father-in-heaven, 
or  he  can  graft  his  God-power  on  to  the  stalk  of  per- 
sonality and,  by  making  the  intellect  alone  his  guiding 
star,  deliberately  forswear  his  Father-in-heaven  and 
become  a  child  of  evil  (or  the  devil)  and  do  the  works 
of  his  father  the  devil — the  concentrated  force  of  man's 
wrong  thoughts,  acts  and  creations,  the  perverted 
reflection  of  the  Good  Law  (the  Lord)  on  earth.  By 
refusing  to  let  the  light  of  the  Divine  penetrate  farther 
than  the  intellect,  he  closes  the  door  of  his  heart  and 
allows  the  Light  to  illumine  only  his  human  brain 
which,  without  the  guidance  of  the  heart,  permits  evil 
to  manifest,  especially  intellectual  and  spiritual  pride, 
which  are  the  most  subtle  and  insidious  of  all  evils. 

Therefore,  to  teach  mankind  how  to  unfold  inner 
faculties  and  how  to  use  their  power  for  personal 
ends,  would  be  quite  as  reprehensible  as  for  a  gardener 
to  propagate  in  a  garden  devoted  to  raising  food  for 
man,  some  poisonous  vine  which  the  gardener  knew 
the  very  richness  of  the  soil,  the  sunshine  and  the  cul- 
tivation would  cause  to  grow  and  finally  either  destroy 


382  The  Voice  of  Isis 

the  food  or  impregnate  it  with  poison.  This  is  why 
the  inner  teachings  of  the  sacred  Mysteries  are  given 
only  to  the  few.  It  is  no  Being  who  gives,  it  is  the 
blossom  of  the  Soul  which  opens  and  receives  the 
Light  of  Illumination,  as  the  rose  unfolds  its  petals 
to  the  light  of  the  sun.  If  you  do  not  receive  this 
Light,  know  well  that  the  blossoming  time  has  not  ar- 
rived for  you.  Had  it  arrived  no  one  could  withhold 
the  Light  from  you. 

When  the  divine  mystery  of  the  indwelling  of  The 
Christ  has  taken  place  in  the  Soul  and  the  disciple  has 
begun  to  realize  in  a  vital,  living  way,  that  the  over- 
shadowing of  his  Divine  Self  is  a  real  blending  or 
indwelling,  then  the  works  of  his  Father  will  unfold 
within  him  just  as  the  blade,  the  ear  and  the  full 
corn  in  the  ear  unfold  in  the  plant.  Then,  and  then 
only,  is  he  ready  for  the  inner  teaching;  for  he  must 
be  trained  to  put  forth  his  blossoms  in  the  manner  best 
for  humanity.  Each  step  gained  must  not  only  show 
in  the  life,  but  the  powers  that  go  with  that  step  must 
also  manifest.  //  we  control  one  selfish  trait  which 
before  held  us  captive  we  may  know  that  we  have 
taken  a  real  step  upward.  And  the  first  and  greatest 
of  all  magical  powers  to  be  attained  by  the  pupil  is 
the  magical  power  of  controlling  himself,  of  day  after 
day  mastering  the  little  things,  with  no  heroics,  per- 
haps with  no  one  to  commend  him  or  realize  that  he 
is  making  any  effort,  yet  still  controlling  his  little 
tempers,  his  little  impatiences,  little  acts  of  selfishness, 
his  tendency  to  criticize  and  all  the  little,  trifling 
things  he  knows  are  wrong,  but  which  seem  too  petty 
to  be  worth  mentioning. 

Let  no  pupil  ask  for  special  lessons  until  these  little 
things  are  in  a  measure  conquered,  for  the  building  of 
these  little  lessons  into  his  life  is  the  most  "practical" 


The  Voice  of  Isis  383 

formula  that  can  be  given  him.  And  if  there  is  any- 
one who  has  thus  assimilated  The  Christ  and  grown 
to  live  The  Christ-life,  who  has  gained  the  power  of 
looking  at  the  self,  who  has  fulfilled  the  injunction, 
"Know  thyself,"  yet  who  says  he  still  lacks  Illumina- 
tion, let  him  know  well  that  there  is  some  hidden 
corner  in  his  heart  or  life  into  which  the  Light  is  not 
able  to  penetrate,  some  closed  door  which  he  refuses 
to  open.  To  him  we  would  say,  Look  deeper  and 
meditate  in  the  Silence  and  pray  for  a  knowledge  of 
thyself.  At  the  same  time  go  forth  and  help  to 
bring  the  Light  to  some  other  Soul,  for  in  so  doing 
in  some  part  of  your  nature  you  will  find  that  which 
keeps  out  the  full  radiance  of  The  Christ-light.  Let 
him  "Learn  to  look  intelligently  into  the  hearts  of  men. 
Regard  most  earnestly  your  own  heart.  For  through 
your  own  heart  comes  the  one  light  which  can  illumi- 
nate life,  and  make  it  clear  to  your  eyes."  1 

Occult  formulas  are  more  apt  to  emphasize  self- 
satisfaction  and  self-righteousness  than  to  help  toward 
self-mastery.  John  the  Baptist  had  been  educated 
in  all  the  law  of  the  Mysteries,  had  lived  apart  from 
the  world  in  the  caves  of  the  wilderness,  had  fed  on 
locusts  and  wild  honey  and  had  spent  his  life  follow- 
ing out  the  most  rigid  formularies  of  the  Essences, 
yet  Jesus  said :  "Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Among  them 
that  are  born  of  women  there  hath  not  risen  a  greater 
than  John  the  Baptist :  notwithstanding  he  that  is  least 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  greater  than  he."  2  This 
means  that  the  very  humblest  person  who  has  cor- 
related with  The  Christ  within — which  is  entering 
the  kingdom  of  heaven — is  greater  than  even  a  great 
intellectual  teacher  such  as  John  the  Baptist. 

1  Light  on  the  Path,   Part  II,   Rules   10-12. 
*St.  Matthew,  XI,  11. 


384  The  Voice  of  Isis 

Both  intellectual  development  and  heart  development 
are  necessary,  but  if  the  heart  is  first  developed  and  a 
conscious  union  made  with  The  Christ  within,  all 
things  are  revealed  unto  you.  This  is,  as  it  were,  the 
short  cut  to  Mastery. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  none  of  the  Great  Teachers 
— Krishna,  Buddha,  Jesus,  etc. — ever  wrote  a  word  or 
were,  in  their  day,  looked  upon  as  great  intellectual 
teachers,  but  the  example  of  Their  lives  lives  in 
the  world  to  this  day,  and  can  never  die,  because 
They  made  this  divine  correlation,  literally  mani- 
festing God  in  the  flesh.  It  is  neither  the  words 
you  speak  nor  the  routine  of  your  life  that 
affects  the  world,  but  something  more.  It  is  the 
power  of  that  which  is  "the  way,  the  truth,  and 
the  life."  In  other  words,  both  that  which  you 
teach  and  the  example  of  your  life  must  prove  con- 
clusively that  it  is  The  Christ  within  you  that  work- 
eth  through  you  both  to  will  and  to  do. 

It  must  not  be  a  mere  lip-service,  it  must  be  so  true 
and  so  convincing  that  it  will  radiate  from  you  rather 
than  be  a  garment  assumed  before  the  world  or  a 
mere  intellectual  cloak  that  blinds  your  own  eyes,  for 
The  Christ  within  you  must  be  the  Truth  as  well  as 
the  Way  and  the  Life. 

If  there  is  any  doubt  left  in  regard  to  the  Path 
we  point  out  to  reach  this  attainment  we  will  briefly 
recapitulate. 

Think  only  constructively  if  you  desire  spiritual 
growth. 

Do  cheerfully  and  well  the  duty  that  lies  nearest. 
Conquer  the  little  faults  as  they  show  themselves. 
Never  let  a  day  pass  without  its  period  of  self- 
examination,    meditation    and    communion    with    the 
Divine. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  385 

Do  unto  others  as  ye  would  that  others  should 
do  unto  you. 

Learn  to  love  in  its  truest  and  grandest  sense. 

Do  not  criticize  others,  even  though  your  criticism 
seems  just,  for  to  do  so  you  must  dwell  mentally  in 
the  conditions  you  criticize. 

Be  not  afraid  to  face  and  recognize  your  own 
faults. 

At  the  same  time  be  not  discouraged. 

Have  perfect  confidence  in  your  power  ultimately 
to  conquer  through  The  Christ  within. 

For  the  voice  of  The  Christ  declares,  "Lo,  I  am 
with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." 

The  following  are  the  requirements  given  by  a  Great 
Teacher  to  those  who  seek  Illumination : 

1.  Behold  the  Truth  before  you; 

2.  A  clean  life; 

3.  An  open  mind ; 

4.  A  pure  heart; 

5.  An  eager  intellect; 

6.  An  unveiled  spiritual  perception; 

7.  A  brotherliness  for  one's  co-disciple ; 

8.  A  readiness  to  give  and  receive  instruction ; 

9.  A  loyal  sense  of  duty  to  the  Teacher ; 

10.  A  willing  obedience  to  the  behests  of  Truth 
once  we  have  placed  our  confidence  in  and  be- 
lieve that  Teacher  to  be  in  possession  of  it ; 

11.  A  courageous  endurance  of  personal  injustice; 

12.  A  brave  declaration  of  principles ; 

13.  A  valiant  defense  of  those  who  are  unjustly 
attacked ; 

14.  A  constant  eye  to  the  ideal  of  human  progres- 
sion and  perfection  which  the  secret  science 
depicts. 

15.  These  are  the  golden  stairs  up  the  steps  of 
which  the  learner  may  climb  to  the  Temple  of 
Divine  Wisdom. 

All  things  are  possible  unto  him  who  believes. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE  SYMBOL  OF  THE  SALT. 
"Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth :  but  if  the  salt 
have  lost  his  savour,  wherewith  shall  it  be  salted? 
it  is  thenceforth  good  for  nothing,  but  to  be  cast 
out,  and  to  be  trodden  under  foot  of  men." — St. 
Matthew  V,  13. 

Salt  plays  a  most  important  role  in  all  life,  both 
in  man  and  in  Nature.  It  has  also  played  its  part  in  the 
advance  of  civilization.  The  first  great  highways 
known  to  history  were  caravan  routes  formed  by 
transporting  salt  from  the  deserts  to  points  of  civiliza- 
tion. Salt  thus  became  the  great  reason  for  commu- 
nication between  different  peoples,  and  hence  the 
means  by  which  civilization  spread. 

The  use  of  salt  marks  an  advance  in  civilization 
from  a  wandering  nomadic  life,  in  which  the  people 
subsist  chiefly  upon  animal  food  containing  a  large 
proportion  of  salt,  to  an  agricultural  life  in  which 
vegetables  requiring  salt  for  flavoring  form  a  large 
proportion  of  the  diet.  Salt  in  the  diet  is  necessary 
for  the  health  of  all  herbivorous  animals.  It  is  a 
necessary  constituent  of  all  animal  tissues  and  of  the 
blood.  Experiments  have  repeatedly  proven  that  the 
heart  will  not  beat  unless  there  is  dissolved  in  the 
blood  a  certain  percentage  of  common  salt.  Its  use 
in  every-day  life  is  as  a  purifier  and  preservative, 
this  being  its  chief  function  in  the  world.  Like  the 
heart  of  man,  the  heart  of  Nature  will  not  beat 
nor  will  life  continue  without  a  proper  proportion 
of  salt,  for  salt  preserves  the  force  which  makes  life 
possible. 

Salt  was  one  of  the  ingredients  in  the  Great  Work 
of  the  old  Alchemists  who  reduced  all  elements  to 


The  Voice  of  Isis  387 

their  mystic  Sulphur,  Mercury,  and  Salt,  salt  sym- 
bolizing that  which  purifies  and  preserves  the  life- 
principle.  Salt  is  found  in  oceans,  deserts,  salt 
lakes,  and  mines,  the  latter  being  deposits  left 
by  the  evaporation  of  ancient  seas.  But  wherever 
salt  is  found  the  significance  of  its  presence  is  due 
to  its  purifying  and  preserving  qualities. 

The  earth  is  a  living  entity,  and  when  a  portion 
of  its  surface  becomes  diseased  beyond  repair; 
when  weighted  down  with  the  wickedness,  crime 
and  sin  of  the  people  inhabiting  it,  that  portion 
gives  way  under  the  load  and  through  great  cata- 
clysms sinks  down  to  be  covered  by  the  salt  brine 
of  the  sea,  where  the  putrifaction  of  the  mass  is 
completed.  Putrefaction  is  a  form  of  digestion  or 
disintegration  which  breaks  up  old  forms  or  bodies 
and  liberates  their  life-essences.  These  essences 
being  sublimed  by  the  heat  of  the  putrefaction  rise 
up  and  certain  of  them  combine  with  the  various 
salts  in  solution  and  are  thus  preserved.  Others 
in  passing  up  through  the  brine  are  purified  ere 
they  pass  into  the  regions  above.  As  these  purified 
essences  rise  from  the  sea  certain  of  them  are  swept 
inward  over  the  land  where  they  are  assimilated  by 
both  vegetable  and  animal  life,  including  man.  In 
this  way  all  the  advances  in  intelligence,  as  well  as 
all  the  advances  in  art,  science  and  invention 
brought  forth  for  the  benefit  of  mankind — the  so- 
called  "lost  arts" — are  still  preserved  in  the  thought 
aura  of  the  locality.  When  subsequent  Races  reach 
a  corresponding  stage  of  mental  development  they 
are  able  to  respond  to  the  purified  thought-forms  of 
the  former  civilizations  and  reproduce  them  as  ap- 
parently "new"  ideas  or  inventions. 

It  is  often  noted  that  new  ideas,  new  thoughts  and 


388  The  Voice  of  his 

tendencies  seem  to  sweep  over  communities  in  waves. 
They  are  indeed  waves  in  the  mental  and  even  physical 
atmosphere,  sweeping  in  from  the  sea,  invigorating, 
stimulating  and  advancing  all  forms  of  life.  All 
essences  not  absorbed  by  vegetable  and  animal  life 
or  utilized  by  man,  pass  into  the  aura  of  the  earth 
as  a  permanent  acquisition  or  seed  for  the  use  of 
future  Races.  The  modern  aeroplane  is  but  an  imper- 
fect expression  of  the  thought-forms  left  in  the  aura 
of  the  earth  by  the  ancient  Atlanteans,  who  had  devel- 
oped aeronautics  to  a  far  higher  degree  than  has  yet 
been  attained  in  this  age.  There  is  no  so-called  "lost 
art"  but  will  in  due  time  be  recovered  or  "discovered" 
in  the  same  way.  For  every  thought  and  act  of  man 
is  imprinted  upon  the  Akashic  Records  and  tends  to 
reproduce  itself  through  the  brain  of  the  reincarnated 
Soul  who  first  produced  it.  And  when  so  reproduced 
it  tends  to  be  further  perfected  or  redeemed,  for  such 
is  the  Law  of  Eternal  Progress. 

After  the  rise  of  the  submerged  land  from  be- 
neath the  brine  of  the  sea,  the  waters  drain  off  or 
evaporate  and  the  purifying  process  is  continued  in 
the  resulting  deserts.  Following  cyclic  law,  when 
the  disintegration  of  old  forms  is  completed  and  the 
combination  of  the  lower  essences  with  the  salts 
of  the  sea  is  accomplished,  the  land  thus  freed  from 
its  magnetic  burden  of  impurity  slowly  rises  above 
the  surface,  the  waters  evaporating  and  leaving  be- 
hind their  accumulated  salt  to  the  further  action  of 
the  sun  and  air.  Thus  are  formed  the  vast  tracts 
of  land  we  call  deserts. 

As  in  the  body  an  excess  of  salt  is  injurious,  so  in 
the  desert,  where  for  ages  no  vegetable  or  animal 
life  can  exist.  Yet  in  the  fullness  of  time  the 
salt  is  gradually  disintegrated,  sublimed  or  carried 


The  Voice  of  Isis  389 

away  by  the  action  of  the  elements,  and  the  land 
again  'becomes  habitable.  The  Great  Salt  Lake  in 
Utah,  the  desert  of  Sahara  and  the  great  plains  of 
western  United  States  are  examples  of  different 
steps  in  this  process.  Thus,  little  by  little,  is  the  proph- 
ecy fulfilled:  "The  desert  shall  blossom  as  the  rose/' 
Man  passes  through  the  same  stages  of  purifica- 
tion by  salt  as  does  the  earth.  His  youth  is  fresh 
and  pure,  is  filled  with  high  ideals,  beautiful 
thoughts,  and  vast  energy.  Gradually  as  he  reaches 
his  maturity  his  pure  ideals  become  overlaid  with 
selfishness,  dissimulation,  greed  and  impurity,  and 
his  life  becomes  weighted  down  with  the  weak- 
nesses, material  desires,  and  impurities  of  the  world. 
Then  come  the  purifying  cataclysms  of  sorrow  and 
suffering  in  which  all  his  boasted  attainments  dis- 
solve from  under  him  and  he  sinks  down  under  the 
brine  poured  out  by  the  salt  tears  that  flow  from  his 
eyes.  Here,  as  in  the  ocean,  the  salt  purifies  the 
nature  and  preserves  the  essence  of  good  in  the  ex- 
periences he  passes  through,  building  it  into  his  aura 
for  future  use.  The  lessons  of  sorrow  must  be  well 
learned  or  they  will  be  repeated  again  and  again 
until  learned.  After  a  period  of  desolation  when  all 
comfort  fails — comparable  to  a  lonely  desert — the 
paralyzing  effects  of  sorrow  gradually  lessen  and 
pass  away.  Then  the  rose  that  is  born  of  suffering 
and  watered  with  tears  puts  forth  its  bud  and  begins 
to  open  its  petals  in  the  purified  and  freshened  soil 
of  his  heart. 

Analyzed  from  the  higher  standpoint,  a  drop  of 
sea  water  contains  every  constituent  necessary  to 
life,  and  the  same  constituents  are  found  in  the  salt 
"Waters  of  Life"  or  tears.  The  well-known 
aphorism  in  Light  on  The  Path  is  based  upon  the  puri- 


390  The  Voice  of  Isis 

fying  action  of  salt.  "Before  the  eyes  can  see  they 
must  be  incapable  of  tears"  does  not  mean  that  you 
must  be  cold  or  lacking  in  understanding  and  appre- 
ciation of  the  trials  your  brothers  and  sisters  are 
undergoing,  or  that  you  must  be  lacking  in  sym- 
pathy ;  for  Jesus — the  type  of  perfected  man — wept  in 
sympathy  with  the  sisters  at  Lazarus'  tomb,  al- 
though possessing  in  its  fullness  the  power  to  bring 
Lazarus  forth  with  a  word — but  it  does  mean  that 
there  will  come  a  period  in  your  life  when  your  pas- 
sions, emotions  and  thoughts  will  be  so  mastered 
and  purified  by  the  action  of  the  salt  tears — which 
in  your  present  stage  of  development  are  necessary 
— that  there  will  be  no  further  need  of  the  tears,  for 
the  salt  has  done  its  work.  As  in  a  desert,  where 
only  after  the  salt  has  been  absorbed  can  the  roses 
bloom,  so  only  after  the  purifying  and  cleansing  has 
been  accomplished  in  your  life  can  the  roses  bloom 
in  your  heart  and  your  eyes  truly  see. 

Many  ceremonies  are  connected  with  the  partak- 
ing of  salt.  In  the  Middle  Ages  the  dish  of  salt  was 
placed  in  the  center  of  the  long  banquet-board  and 
those  who  sat  between  the  salt  and  the  host  were 
said  to  sit  "above  the  salt/'  Only  members  of  the 
family  were  permitted  this  honor ;  hence  when  a 
guest  was  seated  above  the  salt  he  was  accepted  as 
a  member  of  the  family  for  the  time  being,  and  ac- 
corded all  the  privileges  and  honors  due  a  son  of  the 
house.  Those  who  sat  "'below  the  salt"  were  the 
squires,  retainers  and  followers  of  the  lord  of  the 
house  and  could  rise  above  the  salt  only  by  valiant 
deeds.  Among  the  Arabs  to  this  day  salt  is  held 
sacred.  One  with  whom  they  have  partaken  of  salt 
becomes  their  friend,  and  if  by  chance  they  partake 
of  salt  with  an  enemy  the  enmity  must  be  forsworn. 


The  Voice  of  I  sis  391 

This  ceremony  is  called  "The  Covenant  of  Salt"  and 
is  but  another  remnant  of  the  ancient  ceremony 
which  symbolized  the  covenant  between  man  and 
his  Higher  Self.  Traces  of  this  symbolic  meaning 
are  found  in  many  religions,  the  Roman  Catholics 
still  using  salt  in  the  baptismal  service.  These  cus- 
toms are  remnants  of  the  beautiful  symbology  taught 
the  early  Races  by  the  Elder  Brothers  of  Humanity, 
in  which  the  symbolic  purifying  by  the  salt  admitted 
the  neophyte  to  spiritual  Sonship.  The  self-conquer- 
ing purifying  and  cleansing  which  lifted  the  neophyte 
above  the  salt  made  it  possible  for  him  to  enter  the 
higher  realms  and  become  one  with  his  Father-in- 
heaven. 

The  first  conscious  step  of  the  neophyte  is  a  strong 
desire  to  purify  his  body,  mind  and  life  and  preserve 
the  divine  attributes  within  his  Soul.  This  step  is 
symbolized  by  the  effect  of  the  salt.  Each  of  you  who 
is  ready  to  make  the  Covenant  of  Salt  with  your 
Higher  Self  agrees  to  let  your  life  be  purified  of  all 
its  faults  both  great  and  small  through  the  action  of 
salt  tears,  even  though  sorrow  and  suffering  are  nec- 
essary to  accomplish  this  result.  When  you  have  been 
thoroughly  salted  and  cleansed  from  earthly  impurities 
then  will  you  become  clear  crystal  grains  wherewith 
to  salt  the  earth.  Then  indeed  will  the  eyes  be  in- 
capable of  tears  and  be  able  to  see  the  things  of  the 
spirit !  However,  this  does  not  mean  that  you  are  to 
encourage  mere  emotionalism,  or  to  look  on  the  sor- 
rowful side  of  life.  For  just  as  in  the  desert  an  excess 
of  salt  kills  out  vegetation,  so  giving  away  to  excessive 
weeping  or  emotion  will  make  a  desert  of  your  heart 
and  life  and  you  will  remain  in  that  state  until  you 
have  conquered.  You  will  never  gain  the  victory 
until,  as  in  the  desert,  the  salt  has  been  absorbed,  the 


392  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

soil  of  your  heart  enriched  by  experience,  and  your 
life  has  brought  forth  its  roses. 

Jesus  said  to  His  initiated  disciples :  "Ye  are  the 
salt  of  the  earth  .  .  .  have  salt  in  yourselves 
and  have  peace  one  with  another."  As  you  start  out 
to  be  the  salt  of  the  earth  be  not  dismayed  that  you 
are  such  a  tiny  grain  compared  to  the  great  world 
around  you.  Determine  not  to  lose  your  savor.  The 
little  grain  of  salt  stops  not  to  consider  if  it  can  accom- 
plish its  mission.  It  simply  gives  forth  its  innate 
qualities  in  perfect  confidence,  for  if  it  has  not  lost 
its  savor  everything  it  contacts  must  be  salted.  And 
the  more  it  gives  the  more  it  has  to  give,  for  its  crystals 
grow  and  reproduce  according  to  their  saltness.  Let 
the  light  of  your  purified  life  so  shine  before  men  that 
they  shall  recognize  in  you  the  element  of  purification. 
Earnestly  determine  that  the  salt  shall  not  lose  its 
savor,  but  that  you  will  do  your  duty  as  a  grain  of 
salt  to  wipe  out  and  purify  the  world's  misconcep- 
tions. In  your  daily  life,  like  grains  of  salt,  radiate 
the  spiritual  force  which  you  draw  from  The  Christ 
and  transmute  the  putrefying  conditions  in  the  thought 
of  humanity  into  Love  and  Purity. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THOU    SHALT    NOT    KILL. 

"Life  runs  its  rounds  of  living,  climbing  up, 
From  mote,  and  gnat,  and  worm,  reptile  and  fish, 
Bird  and  shagged  beast,  man,  demon,  deva,  God, 

if   one   might    save 

Man  from  his  curse,  the  whole  wide  world  should  share 
The  lightened  horror  of  this  ignorance 
Whose  shadow  is  chill  fear,  and  cruelty  its  bitter  pastime. 
Light  of  Asia,  Arnold,  Book  IV.  p.  97. 

(Note:  This  lesson  is  intended  to  advocate  neither 
meat-eating  nor  non-meat-eating,  but  to  inculcate  in 
all  that  tolerance  which  can  see  others  follow  lines 
of  conduct  differing  from  their  own  without  condemna- 
tion or  a  feeling  of  superiority.) 

The  command  "Thou  shalt  not  kill,"  is  plain  and 
distinct,  with  no  modifying  conditions,  yet  it  is  given 
upon  the  same  authority  as  that  which,  in  the  vision 
of  Peter,  said :  "Rise,  Peter ;  kill  and  eat."  x  Although 
the  vision  of  Peter  was  primarily  to  teach  him  that 
even  though  a  Jew  he  should  call  no  man  unclean, 
nevertheless  the  Voice  of  God  commanded  him  to  kill, 
and  he  had  to  learn  his  lesson  through  his  willingness 
to  do  so  even  though  against  his  race  prejudice. 

We  have  explained  to  our  pupils  something  of  the 
great  law  of  the  One  Life,  or  the  Great  Creative  Prin- 
ciple sent  into  chaos  to  evolve  through  all  forms  and 
bring  the  world-stuff  left  over  from  a  previous  world- 
period  to  perfection  through  physical  and  spiritual 
evolution.  We  have  tried  to  picture  this  Great  Prin- 
ciple as  a  stream  of  life-force  animating  and  evolving 
everything  through  which  it  passes.  As  this  is  the  force 
back  of  all  evolution,  an  emanation  from  the  Absolute 

*Acts,  X,  13. 


394  The  Voice  of  Isis 

(which  is  all  life).,  there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  "kill- 
ing" in  the  sense  of  annihilating  this  stream  of  life- 
force.  But  since  the  above  command  is  given,  and  not 
only  in  one  sacred  scripture  but  in  many,  it  must  have 
an  important  inner  meaning  as  well  as  an  outer. 

The  only  sense  in  which  man  can  kill  is  to  separate 
any  form  of  life  from  this  stream  of  life-force,  or  to 
dam  it  up  or  refuse  to  permit  it  to  manifest.  A  good 
example  of  such  killing  is  given  by  the  yogis, 
Brahmacharis  and  Bhikshus — the  so-called  holy  men- 
dicants of  India — described  in  The  Light  of  Asia: 
"Some  day  and  night  had  stood  with  lifted  arms,  till— 
drained  of  blood  and  withered  by  disease — their  slowly 
wasting  joints  and  stiffened  limbs  jutted  from  sapless 
shoulders  like  dead  forks  from  forest  trunks."  x  Such 
practices  prevent  the  One  Life  from  manifesting 
through  certain  parts  of  tjie  body,  hence  such  parts 
may  be  said  to  be  killed.  Another  form  of  killing  is 
found  in  the  various  kinds  of  mental  torture  which, 
even  in  this  so-called  enlightened  and  Christian  coun- 
try, are  assiduously  followed  by  many  who  are  earn- 
estly seeking  spiritual  enlightenment.  While  we  are 
wont  to  look  upon  all  forms  of  bodily  torture  as  hor- 
rible and  revolting,  many  hold  that  Soul-torture  is  the 
only  path  to  perfection.  Such  think  they  must  make 
life  as  hard  and  unhappy,  both  for  themselves  and  for 
others,  as  it  is  possible;  that  they  must  refuse  to  eat 
that  which  they  enjoy;  must  starve  their  bodies  or 
must  scourge  their  mind  and  conscience.  These  are 
also  forms  of  killing,  because  they  dam  up  and  refuse 
to  permit  the  life-force  to  manifest  in  and  through 
these  conditions.  Just  as  mind  and  Spirit  are  more 
important  than  body,  so  is  mental  and  spiritual  torture 
far  more  harmful  and  degenerating  than  any  merely 

1Book  the  Fifth,   9. 11 6. 


The  Voice  of  Isis  395 

bodily  torture  that  can  be  conceived  of.  And  it  has 
exactly  the  same  effect,  namely,  to  separate  the  tor- 
tured parts  from  the  stream  of  life-giving  creative 
force,  which  is  The  Christ  or  the  Creative  Principle  of 
the  Godhead. 

The  one  fact  which  we  would  that  we  could  proclaim 
in  words  of  fire  that  all  the  world  might  comprehend  is 
"GoD  is  LOVE/'  and  love  is  life  and  growth  and  joy  and 
peace  and  immortality.  The  only  bar  to  evolution  is  to 
kill,  to  separate  either  body,  mind  or  heart  from  God- 
Love,  no  matter  what  mistaken  teaching  brings  this 
about.  Just  as  long  as  the  idea  prevails  that  to  be 
joyous  and  happy  in  life  is  to  be  far  from  God;  just 
as  long  as  love  is  considered  a  clandestine  fruit,  some- 
thing forbidden,  to  be  eaten  only  in  secret  and  bit- 
terly repented  of  later  on;  that  to  gain  the  pleasant 
things  of  life  you  must  close  the  door  on  God  and  turn 
aside  the  stream  of  the  vital  Christ-life  from  you,  just 
so  long  will  this  world  be  the  hell  it  is  today.  The 
only  way  to  cleanse  the  Augean  stables  of  life's  mis- 
eries is  once  more  to  turn  the  living  waters  of  the 
rivers  Alpheus  and  Peneus  into  their  old  and  origin- 
ally intended  channels  and  let  the  streams  of  love  and 
life  and  immortality  flow  into  and  through  all.  This 
was  one  of  the  fabled  labors  of  Hercules,  who  sym- 
bolizes strength  or  power  to  accomplish,  that  God- 
given  power  by  which  mankind  can  find  its  birthright. 
Through  the  strength  gained  by  accepting  and  believ- 
ing that  God  has  sent  His  Son — The  Christ-principle, 
the  creative  aspect  of  the  Absolute — into  chaos  be- 
cause His  force  was  all  that  was  needed  to  awaken 
seemingly  dead  matter  into  life1  that  it  might  evolve 
toward  perfection,  we  open  the  flood  gates  and,  like 
Hercules,  turn  this  river  of  force  into  the  stables  that 


Chapter  XXIV. 


396  The  Voice  of  Isis 

are  filled  with  man's  animal  passions  and  emotions  and 
the  stables  are  cleansed.  "Thou  shalt  not  kill"  means 
that  you  shall  in  no  way  dam  up  or  cut  off  the  life- 
force. 

But  the  question  Peter  had  to  face  was:  Has  man 
the  right  to  destroy  any  lower  form  of  life,  either  for 
food,  self-preservation  or  for  purposes  of  hygiene? 
The  Hindus  have  carried  the  literal  interpretation  of 
the  command  "Thou  shalt  not  kill"  to  its  extreme 
limits,  practically  sacrificing  human  life  in  perference 
to  that  of  insects  and  other  noxious  and  pestiferous 
forms  of  life.  Poisonous  snakes,  which  the  Hindus 
refuse  to  kill,  cause  the  death  of  thousands  of  human 
beings  annually;  yet  it  is  a  common  sight  to  see  these 
same  Hindus  treat  their  domestic  animals  with  such 
cruelty  that  a  European  can  scarce  endure  the  sight 
of  their  suffering.  It  is  known  that  the  plague,  which 
so  frequently  devastates  that  country  with  its  toll  of 
millions  of  lives,  is  transmitted  by  rats  and  other  ro- 
dents and  is  largely  made  possible  by  the  unclean  con- 
ditions which  permit  fleas,  lice  and  other  bloodsucking 
parasites — infesting  indiscriminately  the  dead  and 
the  living — to  flourish  undisturbed;  that  fatal  fevers 
are  transmitted  by  mosquitoes,  and  that  many  other 
scourges  of  mankind  can  be  traced  to  similar  sources, 
and  yet  there  are  serious  and  earnest  seekers  after 
truth  who  ask  if  it  is  right  to  destroy  such  forms  of 
life.  There  are  many  in  this  country  who  say  they 
have  no  right  to  kill  the  disease-transmitting  house- 
fly but  who  will  carefully  exclude  it  from  their  dwell- 
ings without  a  thought  of  the  suffering  poor  who  can- 
not afford  screens  or  who  are  too  ignorant  to  protect 
their  children  from  flies.  Hence  disease  and  death  is 
spread  among  the  poor  by  the  very  flies  the  well-mean- 
ing students  have  excluded  from  their  own  homes. 

As  to  the  killing  of  the  dumb  beasts  your  brothers, 


The  Voice  of  Isis  397 

the  literal  view  of  not  killing  animals  for  food  may  be 
a  helpful  step  at  a  certain  stage  of  spiritual  growth, 
but  later  on  it  is  well  to  consider  a  wider  view  of  crea- 
tion and  the  inter-dependence  of  all  kingdoms;  for 
using  vegetables  for  food  is  just  as  much  taking  life 
as  to  use  animals  for  food.  Man,  being  a  step  above 
the  lower  kingdoms,  owes  love  and  helpfulness  to  all. 

The  matter  of  what  kind  of  food  you  place  in  your 
stomach,  as  long  as  it  is  wholesome  and  satisfying,  is 
of  so  little  importance  to  spiritual  growth  that  we  give 
it  little  special  attention,  leaving  such  matters  of  per- 
sonal preference  to  the  common-sense  of  each  pupil. 
Each  one,  however,  is  responsible  for  the  condition  of 
all  his  bodies  and  must  give  them  due  attention,  the 
attention  necessary  to  keep  any  high-bred  animal,  of 
which  high-grade  work  is  expected,  in  good  physical 
condition. 

The  one  essential  thing  is  to  have  a  strong  mind  in 
a  strong  body,  to  live  in  such  a  way  that  no  part  of 
body,  mind  or  Soul  is  shut  off  from  the  stream  of 
Divine  Life.  "Will  ye,  for  love  of  soul,  so  loathe  your 
flesh,  so  scourge  and  maim  it,  that  it  shall  not  serve  to 
bear  the  spirit  on,  searching  for  home  ?"  x  In  fact, 
"Thou  shalt  not  kill"  any  cell,  molecule  or  atom  in 
any  of  your  bodies.  Hence,  we  do  not  presume  to  lay 
down  set  rules  as  to  diet ;  for  spiritual  growth  is  not  a 
matter  of  what  goes  into  the  stomach — else  those 
Races  which  have  been  vegetarians  for  ages  would  be 
spiritual  masters  long  ere  this — but  of  the  devotion 
with  which  you  live  out  the  ideals  of  your  heart.  "Not 
that  which  goeth  into  the  mouth  defileth  a  man;  but 
that  which  cometh  out  of  the  mouth,  this  defileth  a 
man."  2  If  your  ideal  is  not  to  eat  meat,  and  if  you 
find  your  body  and  mind  thrive  and  you  have  gained 

1  Light  of  Asia,  Arnold,  Book  V,  p.  120. 
*St.  Matthew,  XV,  11. 


398  The  Voice  of  Isis 

more  strength,  courage,  vital  force  and  mental  power 
without  it,  then  live  out  that  ideal  and  find  out  by  the 
results  in  your  life  if  it  be  best  for  you.  Study  your 
fellowmen  and  see  if  a  purely  vegetarian  diet  has 
brought  to  its  devotees  greater  health  of  body,  vigor 
of  mind,  breadth  of  Soul,  love,  tolerance  and  com- 
passion. 

One  of  the  objections  frequently  brought  against 
meat-eating  is  the  supposition  that  by  eating  flesh  man 
will  take  on  the  passions  of  the  animal.  There  are  two 
points  to  be  considered  in  this  theory.  All  occult 
students  know  that  the  desire-body  is  Kama  or  the 
animal-soul,  and  that  it  leaves  the  body  at  the  moment 
of  death,  hence  could  not  in  any  way  be  taken  on  by 
eating  the  flesh  from  which  it  has  withdrawn.  The 
second  point  is  the  claim  commonly  made  by  vegeta- 
rians that  by  abstaining  from  meat  their  animal  pas- 
sions are  lessened.  The  fact  is  that  this  result  is  at- 
tained simply  because,  by  a  decrease  in  their  stamina 
and  virility,  their  passions  are  temporarily  masked.  A 
perfect  man  must  be  one  with  all  his  forces  in  full 
vigor,  but  under  perfect  control.  To  weaken  his  pow- 
ers to  such  an  extent  that  they  no  longer  require  con- 
trol is  taking  a  step  backward  rather  than  forward, 
for  such  weakened  forces  are  only  dormant,  not  mas- 
tered, and  in  some  life  will  assert  themselves  with  all 
their  accumulated  power  and  demand  expression. 
Persons  who  have  thus  weakened  their  powers  are 
very  apt  to  think  they  have  no  passions,  hence  permit 
a  feeling  of  superiority  to  grow  up  in  them.  Some 
time  in  their  evolution,  however,  they  must  experi- 
ence the  full  strength  of  all  animal  desires  ere  they 
can  even  begin  really  to  conquer.  But  this  does  not 
mean,  as  taught  by  some  schools,  that  it  is  well  delib- 
erately to  arouse  the  passions  for  the  sake  of  controll- 


The  Voice  of  Isis  399 

ing  them.  It  does  mean  that  each  must  be  in  full  pos- 
session of  all  his  powers  and  learn  to  master  them 
and  make  them  his  servants;  for  they  are  stepping- 
stones  by  which  he  must  climb. 

We  also  hear  much  to  the  effect  that  all  Masters 
and  Adepts  were  vegetarians,  while  the  truth  is  that 
only  those  who  have  reached  Mastery  from  non- 
meat-eating  races  were  vegetarians.  Right  here 
comes  in  a  fact  we  have  so  often  reiterated,  namely, 
that  to  reach  Mastery  each  Soul  must  live  up  to  the 
light  and  the  conceptions  of  Truth  as  revealed  to  him 
in  his  own  religion,  nation  and  environment.  The 
truth  is  that  many,  many  Souls  have  reached  Mastery 
through  races  that  did  eat  meat,  such  as  the  Egyp- 
tians, the  Norsemen,  Celts,  etc.,  and  especially  those 
who,  living  in  a  cold  climate,  subsisted  almost  entirely 
on  meat  and  yet  reached  Mastery;  all  of  whom  are 
largely  represented  among  the  Masters  of  the  Great 
White  Lodge.  Hence,  the  importance  of  a  vegetarian 
diet  in  attaining  Mastery  cannot  be  very  great;  for 
we  cannot  believe  that  the  Elohim,  having  created  a 
planet  with  so  many  differing  climates,  necessitating 
such  a  variety  of  diets,  would  shut  out  from  attaining 
ultimate  perfection  all  who  were  placed  in  parts  of 
that  planet  where  climatic  conditions  made  animal 
food  a  necessity  for  life  and  warmth. 

It  is  the  thought- force  put  into  the  subject  that  is 
the  great  factor,  namely,  what  thoughts  you  hold,  to 
what  you  constantly  direct  your  mind.  If  you  think 
continually  of  what  you  are  not  to  eat  and  how  you 
are  to  manage  without  it  you  are  putting  quite  as  much 
creative  thought-force  upon  your  food  as  is  the  glut- 
ton who  thinks  only  of  what  he  is  to  eat.  In  both 
cases  the  subject  of  food  is  taken  out  of  its  proper 
place — as  anything  wholesome  that  will  properly 


400  The  Voice  of  Isis 

nourish  the  body — and  is  given  undue  prominence, 
even  worshiped,  making  those  who  worship  it  slaves 
to  their  stomachs,  instead  of  looking  upon  food  as  the 
mere  fuel  that  runs  the  engine.  The  mind  cannot  run 
constantly  upon  food  and  at  the  same  time  meditate 
on  spiritual  things  or  be  filled  with  loving  thoughts 
for  the  help  of  humanity.  Instead  you  are  apt  to 
divide  the  world  into  meat-eaters  and  non-meat-eaters. 

As  good  must  evolve  out  of  all  evil,  so  must  we  gain 
wisdom  to  handle  this  problem,  and  by  our  thought- 
force  help  make  it  possible  for  the  Masters  of  Wisdom 
to  use  every  thing  and  condition,  no  matter  how  ap- 
parently evil,  to  bring  about  ultimate  good. 

There  is  no  such  thing  as  death,  merely  various 
changes  in  form  in  the  manifestation  of  the  One  Life. 

Man  is  the  result  of  the  normal  development  of  all 
the  lower  kingdoms;  his  body  contains  all  the  ele- 
ments— mineral,  vegetable  and  animal.  This  fact 
alone  shows  that  man  has  absorbed  and  transmuted 
all  the  lower  kingdoms  and  has  thereby  raised  them 
into  a  higher  expression  of  the  One  Life.  Hence, 
the  atoms  of  the  mineral,  vegetable  and  animal  king- 
doms which  have  been  swallowed  up  by  man  have 
thereby  reached  the  fullness  of  life  expression,  just 
as  man  must  be  swallowed  up — and  from  one  view- 
point be  killed  and  absorbed — in  the  spiritualized  Being 
who  shall  be  more  than  man.  The  mineral  is  "killed 
and  eaten"  or  absorbed  from  the  earth,  and  its  form 
of  life  expression  destroyed  that  the  vegetable  may 
live;  the  vegetable  is  "killed  and  eaten"  or  absorbed 
that  the  animal  may  live,  and  the  animal  gives  up  its 
life  for  man  just  as  the  lower  personal  man  gives  up 
his  life  for  the  Spiritual  Man. 

Every  form  of  life  is  born  into  the  environment 
where  its  natural  prey  (food)  is  found.  If  you  reject 


The  Voice  of  Isis  401 

the  teaching  of  the  evolution  of  the  One  Life  through 
the  sacrifice  of  lower  forms,  then  in  despair  you  must 
agree  with  the  dictum  of  certain  scientists  who  declare 
the  world  to  be  but  a  monstrous  charnal  house.  In 
each  instance,  however,  it  is  the  mere  physical  ex- 
pression of  the  One  Life  that  is  altered,  for  it  is  not 
cut  off  from  the  stream  of  life-force,  but  is  brought 
into  contact  with  a  higher  and  more  perfect  expression 
of  that  force  and  hence  cannot  be  said  to  be  "killed." 
It  is  much  as  though  a  plant,  having  outgrown  a  con- 
fining pot,  was  transplanted  into  a  larger  one  where 
it  would  have  greater  freedom  and  could  express  a 
greater  amount  of  the  life-force ;  or  it  is  like  a  tadpole 
absorbed  and  transmuted  into  a  frog.  This  is  the  true 
meaning  of  the  Mosaic  law,  "a  life  for  a  life" — ex- 
changing a  lower  form  of  life  for  a  higher — so  com- 
monly misinterpreted  in  favor  of  capital  punishment. 
Jesus  expressed  the  same  truth  when  He  said :  "Except 
a  corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth 
alone ;  but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit."  x  For 
the  seed  must  be  "killed,"  or  give  up  its  form  of  life 
and  be  absorbed  and  transmuted  ere  the  higher  form 
of  expression  can  evolve. 

This  is  the  scheme  of  evolution  as  it  would  be  if 
there  were  no  sin  and  no  disobedience  to  the  Law.  If 
love  prevailed  evolution  would  be  but  one  continued 
sacrifice  of  the  lower  form  of  the  One  Life  to  the  next 
higher,  that  the  more  highly  evolved  form  might  ex- 
press to  a  greater  degree  the  One  Life.  But  man's 
disobedience  to  his  divine  guidance  has  brought  cru- 
elty and  suffering  into  the  world  so  that  all  creation 
"groaneth  and  travaileth  together."  That  is,  all  crea- 
tion— whose  end  and  aim  is  to  give  birth  to  and  to 
bring  to  perfection  spiritual  Beings — now  brings 
forth  in  pain  and  anguish  where  it  should  bring  forth 

1  St.  John,  XII,  24. 


402  The  Voice  of  Isis 

in  joy  and  thanksgiving.  Now  everything  preys  upon 
something  instead  of  yielding  itself  a  glad  sacrifice  to 
the  next  higher  form.  If  no  life  were  taken  in  cru- 
elty it  would  naturally  and  without  pain  give  up  its 
life-current  that  it  might  be  turned  into  a  higher  and 
more  advanced  channel  of  expression.  If  this  did  not 
take  place  evolution  would  cease,  and  the  life-wave 
could  never  lift  the  mineral  into  the  vegetable  king- 
dom, nor  the  vegetable  into  the  animal,  the  animal  into 
the  human  or  the  human  into  the  Divine. 

Through  man's  selfishness  and  unbrotherliness 
there  is  enmity  and  lack  of  understanding  between 
man  and  all  the  lower  kingdoms,  which  can  only  be 
remedied  by  love  and  wisdom.  For  instance,  if  meat- 
eating  were  abolished  would  that  overcome  enmity 
and  cruelty  ?  Such  changes  must  come  from  a  change 
in  man's  attitude  toward  life,  from  within,  from  the 
heart,  and  not  from  any  outward  act  or  the  mere 
abstaining  from  an  act. 

At  present  man  is  swayed  mainly  through  his  love  of 
gain.  As  long  as  the  flesh  of  animals  has  a  commercial 
value  and  commands  a  higher  price  when  the  animal  is 
improved  in  quality,  well  cared  for,  well  fed  and  shel- 
tered, man  will  go  on  improving  conditions  for  the  ani- 
mal and  thus  perfecting  and  advancing  it  in  evolution 
far  more  rapidly  than  ages  of  wild  life  could  accom- 
plish, even  though  he  does  this  merely  because  he  finds 
it  to  his  financial  advantage.  All  these  factors  are  util- 
ized by  the  Masters  of  Wisdom  who  are  guiding  evo- 
lution, to  give  a  decided  impetus  upward  to  the  evo- 
lution of  the  animal  kingdom;  for  the  animals  must 
reach  a  state  of  perfection  as  animals  ere  the  wave  of 
evolution  can  sweep  them  into  the  next  higher  king- 
dom. On  the  other  hand,  if  animals  had  no  commer- 
cial value  they  would  receive  no  attention  from  man, 


The  Voice  of  Isis  403 

would  be  allowed  to  run  wild,  would  be  cruelly  hunted 
for  sport,  killed  off  to  rid  the  fields  of  them,  and  many 
starved  or  frozen  in  winter.  Thus  it  would  take  many, 
many  more  lives  as  animals  ere  they  learned  all  the 
lessons  and  reached  perfection  as  animals;  for  even 
the  animals  must  learn  the  lesson  of  love  and  broth- 
erhood with  man  and  all  kingdoms  ere  they  are  done 
with  their  experience  as  animals,  and  this  lesson  they 
must  learn  from  man.  The  mere  killing,  which  is 
but  a  momentary  pang,  does  not  cause  a  thousandth 
part  of  the  suffering  experienced  in  a  wild  and  neg- 
lected state — the  slow  dying  of  starvation,  the  being 
torn  to  pieces  by  other  animals  or  put  to  death  by 
their  own  kind,  as  happens  to  the  old,  the  sick  or  dis- 
abled among  most  animals. 

Another  objection  to  meat-eating  is  the  brutalizing 
effect  the  killing  has  upon  the  butchers.  This  is  in- 
deed a  serious  question,  but  those  who  are  butchers 
today  are  also  evolving  and  are  today  a  step  above 
their  former  incarnations  in  which  they  may  have 
been  human  butchers,  i.  e.,  the  executioners,  inquisi- 
tors or  the  hired  assassins  so  common  in  former  ages. 
By  the  time  there  are  no  more  Souls  who  need  such 
an  environment  in  which  to  learn  their  lessons  and 
evolve  there  will  be  no  more  need  of  butchers,  for  the 
Great  Law  never  places  a  Soul  in  an  environment  that 
is  not  needed  for  its  further  evolution. 

In  protecting  himself  against  mosquitoes,  flies  and 
other  noxious  insects,  man  has  the  right  to  sacrifice 
their  form  of  life.  For  all  lower  forms  of  life  which 
prey  upon  or  work  injury  to  man  are  the  result  of 
man's  abuse  of  the  life-force,  hence  he  has  the  right 
to  make  that  life-force  manifest  through  other  forms 
which  will  be  helpful  to  the  Race.  Therefore,  when 
you  destroy  these  lower  forms  hold  the  thought  that 
their  life-force  shall  manifest  through  forms-  that  shall 


404  The  Voice  of  his 

be  helpful  and  not  inimical  to  man.  It  is  not  true 
brotherhood  merely  to  drive  them  away  from  you  to 
prey  upon  your  less  fortunate  brothers  and  sisters. 
At  no  point  in  evolution,  however,  has  any  form  of 
life  the  right  to  take  the  life  of  its  kind,  for  by  so  doing 
it  could  not  fulfill  the  Law  of  Compensation  by  raising 
it  to  a  higher  stage  of  evolution.  Nor  would  any  form 
do  this  did  not  man  send  forth  murderous  thoughts 
and  emanations.  This  applies  even  to  the  poisonous 
weed  which  chokes  out  the  life  of  the  flower  beside  it ; 
to  the  forms  of  life  which  devour  their  young  and 
their  kind;  for  in  such  cases,  instead  of  being  raised 
to  a  higher  step  they  have  to  repeat  the  same  step 
again.  But  it  does  not  apply  to  those  forms  of  fish 
and  animal  life  which  prey  upon  less  evolved  forms 
of  their  own  kind. 

The  whole  key-note  of  the  universe  is  love  and  as 
long  as  man  sends  out  the  reverse  of  love,  or 
inharmony,  death  instead  of  life  must  result.  How- 
ever, the  plea  of  advancing  evolution  cannot  be 
used  to  excuse  or  palliate  the  taking  of  life  for  sport 
or  vanity.  Man  has  no  right  to  assume  the  responsi- 
bility of  changing  a  form  of  life  unless  conditions  have 
proved  that  the  sacrifice  of  the  lower  form  is  necessary 
for  the  life  or  best  good  of  a  higher  form — mankind. 
To  kill  animals  for  amusement  or  to  kill  birds  for  their 
plumage  that  it  may  add  to  the  vanity  of  woman,  or 
to  foster  that  state  of  mind  which  cannot  see  any- 
thing beautiful  or  uplifting  in  the  song  of  birds  or 
the  gambols  of  a  young  animal,  the  sight  of  which 
only  arouses  the  desire  to  kill,  is  not  only  pushing  man 
back  to  the  level  of  wild  beasts,  but,  because  it  is  not 
transmuted  into  a  higher  form,  is  retarding  the  evo- 
lution of  the  stream  of  life-force,  and  is  spreading 
enmity  toward  man  among  the  lower  kingdoms.  It 


The  Voice     of  Isis  405 

also  dams  up  love  and  compassion  in  his  heart  and  pre- 
vents his  spiritual  evolution.  This  is  killing  in  the  full 
sense  of  the  term. 

Man  is  a  free-will  agent  and  can  choose  his  own 
path.  But  certain  it  is  that  ultimately  love  and  har- 
mony must  prevail  else  man  fails  to  do  his  duty  to  the 
lower  kingdoms  by  failing  to  put  the  imprint  of  love 
and  brotherhood  upon  them,  for  all  forms  must  evolve 
together.  Man  is  responsible  for  the  lower  kingdoms 
and  must  do  his  duty  by  them  and  help  them  to  take 
their  next  step  in  evolution,  for  he  has  reached  a  point 
in  evolution  where  he  must  consciously  become  a  co- 
worker  with  the  forces  of  evolution,  must  recognize, 
correlate  with  and  begin  to  use  the  great,  creative 
Christ  Principle — which  is  the  one  Way,  the  Truth 
and  the  Life — by  which  alone  evolution  can  reach  its 
ultimate  perfection.  If  man  fails  to  do  this  he  stops  his 
own  evolution,  for  he  cannot  expect  to  receive  from 
the  kingdoms  above  him  that  love  and  help  which  he 
withholds  from  the  kingdoms  below  him. 

Man  will  never  lay  down  the  task  of  aiding  the 
lower  kingdoms  until  all  are  lifted  up  and  redeemed 
through  Divine  Love. 

There  is  always  an  inner  or  esoteric  truth  beneath 
every  phase  of  life,  for  all  things  work  together  for 
good,  even  man's  mistakes  being  utilized.  "All  steps 
are  necessary  to  make  up  the  ladder.  The  vices  of 
men  become  steps  in  the  ladder,  one  by  one,  as  they 
are  surmounted."  1  Wisdom  seeks  deep  into  the  mys- 
teries of  being  for  the  germ  of  good  beneath  every 
outward  seeming  ere  condemning  anything.  "Seek 
it  (the  Way)  by  testing  all  experience,  by  utilizing  the 
senses,  in  order  to  understand  the  growth  and  mean- 
ing of  individuality,  and  the  beauty  and  obscurity  of 

1  Light  on  the  Path,  Part  I,  Rule  20. 


406  The  Voice  of  Isis 

those  other  divine  fragments  which  are  struggling 
side  by  side  with  you,  and  form  the  race  to  which  you 
belong." 

Do  not  condemn  anything  but  cruelty,  impurity 
and  want  of  tolerance  and  brotherly  love.  Cul- 
tivate love  and  tolerance  for  all  your  brethren  and 
avoid  the  thought  that  your  way,  or  your  view  is  su- 
perior or  is  in  any  way  better  than  another's,  except 
for  yourself.  Above  all  avoid  the  spiritual  pride  that 
results  from  the  thought  that  because  you  do  or  do 
not  eat  meat,  fletcherize  your  food,  eat  raw  foods, 
follow  a  particular  dietary  or  bathe  in  a  particular 
fashion,  you  are  holier  than  your  brothers  who  do 
differently.  For  there  is  no  one  thing  that  holds  back 
Soul-growth  more,  that  is  more  subtle,  or  is  harder 
to  overcome,  than  spiritual  pride. 

"Thou  shalt  not  kill"  means  then,  that  thou  shalt 
not  do  anything  to  retard  evolution  on  any  plane,  to 
shut  away  any  portion  of  the  universe  from  the  uni- 
versal love-force,  to  foster  separateness  or  to  retard 
the  spread  of  brotherhood,  harmony  and  unity  on  all 
planes.  In  Light  on  the  Path  we  read:  "Each  man 
is  to  himself  absolutely  the  way,  the  truth  and  the 
life,"  and  the  Master  Jesus,  speaking  of  The  Christ 
within,  said:  "I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life." 
These  two  texts  have  literally  the  same  meaning.  The 
letter  "I"  is  formed  by  a  straight  line  which  geomet- 
rically represents  The  Christ-principle  descending 
into  matter,  hence  it  is  this  life-giving  force  or  Prin- 
ciple which  is  "the  way,  the  truth  and  the  life."  But 
as  each  one  manifests  this  in  his  life  he  can  individu- 
ally become  that  "I;"  meaning,  however,  not  the 
human,  personal  self,  which  is  matter,  but  the  animat- 
ing Principle  of  Deity  manifesting  through  him. 
Therefore,  from  this  standpoint,  each  one  must  take 
upon  himself  the  responsibility  of  becoming  "the  way, 


The  Voice  of  Isis  407 

the  truth,  and  the  life,"  not  only  for  himself,  but,  by 
his  life,  his  influence  and  example — because  he  stands 
upon  what  is  at  present  the  crest  of  the  wave  of  evo- 
lution on  this  planet — for  all  the  kingdoms  below  him, 
as  well  as  for  all  his  fellow  beings.  For  the  Way 
and  the  Truth  is  Unity  or  the  One  Life.  "As  above, 
so  below." 

Therefore,  as  to  diet  we  lay  down  no  set  rules;  we 
only  state  principles.  Let  each  pupil  take  the  matter 
of  meat-eating  into  the  Silence  and  find  out  the  best 
way  for  him  to  attain  the  above  mentioned  end.  And 
we  feel  sure  that  after  he  has  wrestled  with  the  ques- 
tion conscientiously,  and  has  found  the  many  differ- 
ences and  the  many  apparent  contradictions  which 
must  be  reconciled  and  blended  ere  this  oneness  with 
all  can  be  even  approximately  attained,  there  will  grow 
up  in  his  heart  such  a  tolerance  and  patience  with  all 
his  fellow  students — whom  he  can  plainly  see  are  seek- 
ing the  same  end — that  there  will  be  no  condemnation 
possible.  "Let  not  him  that  eateth  despise  him  that 
eateth  not;  and  let  not  him  which  eateth  not  judge  him 
that  eateth."  *•  The  instant  any  Soul  reaches  this  point, 
where  he  recognizes  the  unity  of  all,  and  the  diversity 
of-  methods  by  which  all  are  seeking  unity,  he  can  but 
reflect  in  his  life  and  conversation  the  illuminating 
power  of  the  divine  Christ  Love  and  will  then  become 
an  avenue  through  which  this  creative  life-stream  must 
flow  to  all  humanity. 

1  Romans,  XIV,  3. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

PRAYER  OF  CONSECRATION. 

The  following  mantra  are  specially  given  by  the 
Masters  of  Wisdom  as  a  link  to  bind  all  disciples  into 
one  great  unified  body.  You  are  requested  to  repeat 
them  with  us  morning,  noon  and  night,  keeping  in 
mind  the  ideas  given  in  the  explanation  below,  and 
trying  to  realize  their  meaning  in  your  daily  life. 

The  power  of  prayers  or  mantra  to  harmonize  the 
mind  and  body  and  bring  about  suitable  conditions 
for  spiritual  communication  has  been  recognized  in 
all  countries  and  all  ages,  "sound  being  the  most 
potent  and  effectual  magic  agent,  and  the  first  of  the 
keys  which  opens  the  door  of  communication  between 
Mortals  and  Immortals."1  "To  pronounce  a  word  is 
to  evoke  a  thought,  and  make  it  present :  the  magnetic 
potency  of  human  speech  is  the  commencement  of 
every  manifestation  in  the  Occult  World."2 

We,  recognizing  the  omnipotent  power 
of  the  Great  Creative  Force,  do  make 
most  solemn  covenant  to  present  our 
whole  selves,  our  bodies,  our  minds,  our 
Souls,  a  living  sacrifice  to  Thee. 

We  yield  all  personal  desires  unto  the 
one  Great  Desire,  to  be  used  as  instru- 
ments to  create  a  Centre  through  which 
The  Lodge  can  work. 

Recognizing  the  oneness  of  Thy  All- 
pervading  Force,  we  give  back  to  Thee, 
for  Thy  use,  all  that  we  possess,  and  by 

1  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky,  Vol.   I,  502. 
*Ibid,  Vol.  I,  121. 


The    Voice    of   Isis  409 

the  power  of  the  Living  Christ  demand 
that  all  obstacles  be  removed,  and  Thy 
work  be  speedily  established  in  perfect 
justice. 

These  mantra,  while  apparently  but  affirmations, 
nevertheless  contain  the  spirit  of  true  prayer,  for  all 
prayer  is  but  a  recognition  of  the  One  Life,  the  great 
Universal  Creative  Force.  This  force  is  love  in  its 
highest  conception,  and  it  is  with  this  conception  of 
love,  as  being  one  with  the  creative  energy  of  the 
Great  Breath  of  Brahm,  that  we  desire  our  students  to 
identify  themselves. 

It  is  also  the  force  that  is  meant  in  the  passage,  "For 
God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  begot- 
ten Son."  Just  as  the  physical  sun  sends  its  forces 
into  the  heart  of  the  seed,  and  by  breaking  up  its  con- 
fining sheath  or  shell  utterly  transforms  it  and  causes 
it  to  grow  into  a  plant,  a  flower  or  a  tree,  so  this  force 
of  Divine  Love  pours  out  its  power  upon  the  immortal 
seed  within  our  hearts.  It  is  the  Son  of  God  come  to 
earth  that  "whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  not 
perish  but  have  everlasting  life."  It  is  that  which  is 
created  from  the  Father-Mother-principle  and  sent 
into  the  world  to  redeem  it. 

A  true  conception  of  this  great  truth  confronts 
every  neophyte  at  the  Threshold.  He  must  recognize 
this  force  and  correlate  its  inner  meaning  within  his 
own  heart.  This  is  the  step  so  often  spoken  of  as 
"Know  Thyself/'  or  present  yourself  "a  living  sacri- 
fice," your  bodies,  mind  and  Soul,  i.  e.,  seek  for  and 
find  this  stream  of  divine  creative  energy — an  un- 
broken thread  binding  and  holding  body,  mind  and 
Soul  to  the  Son  of  the  Father-Mother — for  this  force 
is  the  creative  aspect  of  your  Higher  Self.  Such  a 


410  The  Voice  of  I  sis 

conception  alone  of  the  love  principle  can  bring  re- 
demption. 

Without  this  redemption,  and  a  comprehension  of 
what  is  meant  by  Divine  Love,  the  student,  no  matter 
how  much  occult  theory,  fact  or  knowledge  he  may 
store  up,  will  still  wander  in  outer  darkness  and  never 
find  or  recognize  his  Father's  face.  Once  grasp  this 
truth  with  Soul  knowledge,  not  mere  intellect,  and 
you  will  find  that  you  have  hold  of  your  Father's  hand, 
and  nothing  can  ever  separate  you  from  Him,  for  the 
Comforter  has  come  who  will  abide  with  you  forever. 

Thus  will  you  find  the  key  that  unlocks  all  mys- 
teries, that  overcomes  sickness  and  conquers  death, 
and  that  will  ultimately  place  your  feet  upon  the  high- 
est mount  of  attainment. 

This  is  the  center  that  each  disciple  must  find  within 
his  own  heart,  yea,  within  his  own  body,  that  he  may 
realize  how  this  creative  force1  works  within  himself. 
Having  found  it,  let  him  purify  the  center  and  sanctify 
it  to  the  work  of  the  Masters,  and  pour  out  its  force 
into  the  Great  Center  which  the  Masters  of  Wisdom 
are  forming  upon  the  earth-plane. 

This  is  the  only  way  to  prepare  for  the  coming-  Ava- 
tar. All  who  use  this  force  wisely,  with  an  under- 
standing of  its  tremendous  power  and  how  it  works 
in  and  through  humanity,  are  doing  their  part  to  pre- 
pare a  place  for  the  Avatar  to  manifest.  This  force, 
verily,  is  God  or  the  Devil,  according  to  its  use  or 
misuse. 

SPECIAL  CONCENTRATION  HOURS. 

We  request  that  all  pupils  who  earnestly  desire  to 
co-operate  in  this  Movement  or  who  have  the  suc- 
cess of  this  Order  at  heart,  to  pause  for  a  moment 
each  day  upon  the  stroke  of  noon  and  send  a  vital 

1  Understand  clearly  that  we  are  not  referring  to  the  physical  sex- 
fluid,  but  to  the  divine  creative  potency  of  The  Christ-principle. 


The    Voice   of   Ish  411 

creative  thought  of  love  to  this  Center,  that  it  may  be 
perfected  in  purity  and  power  to  accomplish  its  great 
mission  for  humanity.  This  should  .not  interfere  with 
your  daily  activities,  for  you  have  only  to  turn  mentally 
to  this  Center  and  say,  "In  the  name  of  the  Living 
Christ  may  the  Heart  Center  of  The  Order  of  the  15 
be  preserved  as  a  pure  channel  through  which  Divine 
Love,  Life  and  Wisdom  may  manifest.  May  increas- 
ing power  be  given  it  to  accomplish  its  great  work  for 
humanity." 

When  repeating  this  prayer  realize  that  the  Heart 
Center  includes  more  than  those  personalities  at  the 
Center  who  are  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  Order,  for 
the  Heart  Center  of  every  movement  includes  the 
heart-love  of  every  member,  no  matter  where  they  may 
be.  Hence  your  loving  thoughts  directed  toward  help- 
ing the  Order  will  form  a  magic  chain  uniting  all  true 
members  in  love.  It  will  also  create  a  vortex  into 
which  there  will  irresistibly  be  drawn  the  positive  force 
of  the  Divine. 

Do  not  try  to  make  the  time  coincide  with  the  same 
hour  in  Los  Angeles.  Take  the  time  of  your  own  lo- 
cality. For  as  we  have  pupils  in  all  parts  of  the  world 
the  repetition  of  this  prayer  at  noon  will  make  a  con- 
tinuous stream  of  force  pouring  into  the  Center 
unceasingly. 

To  come  into  close  vital  touch  with  this  Order  each 
pupil  should  set  apart  at  least  fifteen  minutes  (thirty  if 
possible)  every  Sunday  evening  at  8 :30,  during  which 
the  effort  should  be  made  to  correlate  with  the  special 
meeting  held  at  the  Center  at  that  time. 

At  that  time  each  should  repeat,  either  aloud  or 
mentally,  the  Prayer  of  Consecration  and  the  Healing 
Prayer,  and  concentrate  on  coming  to  this  Center 
in  thought,  realizing  that  at  this  time  the  Master  is  in 
the  midst  of  His  children;  that  His  love  includes  all, 


412  The  Voice  of  Isis 

no  matter  how  distant ;  that  at  this  time  especially  He 
is  gathering  all  together  to  bless  them,  and  that  the 
streams  of  love  and  healing  power  are  going  out  over 
the  lines  of  force  which  connect  each  pupil  with  this 
Center.  Over  these  lines  of  force  the  pupils  on  their  part 
should  send  their  love  and  help  and  a  strong  will  that 
this  Movement  shall  lack  for  nothing  (either  spiritu- 
ally or  materially)  to  make  it  a  powerful  factor  on  all 
planes  to  help  humanity. 

While  the  helpful  forces  are  sent  out  to  all  alike, 
nevertheless  those  who  thus  consciously  correlate  with 
them  and  who  give  of  their  substance — which  includes 
their  love  and  earnest  desire  to  help  on  all  planes — 
will  receive  in  exact  proportion  to  the  earnestness 
and  devotion  they  express,  for,  by  their  desire  to  be- 
come co-workers  in  this  Movement  for  the  upliftment 
of  humanity,  they  are  literally  merging  themselves  into 
oneness  with  the  streams  of  living  force  poured  out  by 
The  Lodge  through  this  Order;  for  their  desires  are 
creative  and  will  bring  forth  after  their  kind. 

If  any  find  it  impossible  to  be  alone  at  this  time  let 
them  at  least  send  us  a  strong  thought  of  loving  help, 
even  if  they  are  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd. 

The  Secretary  would  be  glad  to  know  of  any  experi- 
ences the  pupils  may  have  in  correlating  with  the 
Center  in  this  service. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE   MEANING  OF   THE   SYMBOL. 


The  symbol  of  an  Order  is  its  standard  or  flag.  It 
symbolizes  both  its  source,  its  object  and  its  policy  and 
sets  the  standard  by  which  it  must  be  judged.  Hence 
it  is  important  that  persons  belonging  to  or  coming 
in  touch  with  any  Order  or  Movement  should  under- 
stand something  of  the  emblem  by  which  it  is  known 
on  the  higher  planes. 

THE    SEAL. 

This  Seal  like  all  true  symbols,  has  many  shades 
of  interpretation — all  of  which  are  included  in  the 
figure — and  can  be  applied  to  various  conditions. 
These  shades  of  meaning  are  applications  suitable  to 
various  conditions  and  circumstances  rather  than  con- 
tradictions. We  will  take  it,  however,  as  the  Seal  of 
The  Order  of  the  15  and  endeavor  to  point  out  not 
only  its  meaning,  but  also  how  it  can  be  made  a  posi- 
tive help  to  all  who  are  striving  to  reach  the  goal  of 
spiritual  attainment  over  the  Path  marked  out  by  this 
Order. 


414  The  Voice  of  Isis 

The  Seal  consists  of  a  double  triangle  inscribed  in  a 
circle,  with  an  open  Eye  in  the  center  and  three  five 
pointed  stars  in  the  spaces  between  the  sides  of  the 
triangle  and  the  circle. 

The  circle  represents  Boundless  Space  and  limitless 
Time  in  Eternity.  It  marks  off  the  space  in  which 
creation  takes  place,  or  the  circle  formed  by  the  down- 
pouring  of  the  Great  Creative  Force,  in  this  case  the 
circumference  within  which  this  Order  is  working.  It 
is  much  like  the  circle  of  light  projected  by  a  magic 
lantern,  within  which  the  pictures  are  to  appear.  In 
one  sense  it  is  the  circle  of  the  Zodiac  (the  pathway  of 
our  solar  system)  from  the  twelve  Gates  or  Houses 
of  which  issues  the  radiant  light  of  The  Christos  rep- 
resented as  focused  in  the  center  of  the  Open  Eye.  In 
another  sense  the  circle  is  the  Ring  Pass  Not  (the 
limit  of  the  auric  zone)  which  every  true  disciple 
should  put  around  himself,  and  whose  Gates  (corre- 
sponding to  the  centers  of  the  body)  he  must  open  and 
close  at  will  to  admit  or  exclude  that  which  he  chooses. 
Thus  the  All-seeing  Eye  (the  Absolute)  sheds  its  sev- 
en-fold creative  rays  within  its  creations.  In  the  case 
of  the  Ring  Pass  Not  the  Eye  is  the  Divine  Flame  or 
The  Christ-force  within  each  heart.  In  this  Order  it  is 
the  sacred  altar  upon  which  burns  the  Eternal  Flame 
of  spiritual  light  from  whose  illuminating  rays  ema- 
nate the  inspired  teachings. 

The  Triangle  symbolizes  the  Trinity,  and  is  the  uni- 
versal symbol  of  Deity,1  the  three  aspects  of  the  Logos, 
whether  taken  as  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost  of 
the  Christians,  the  Osiris,  Isis  and  Horus  of  the  Egyp- 
tians or  the  more  ancient  Father — Mother — Son.  The 
apex  of  the  triangle  represents  the  dual  creative  force 
of  the  Logos,  separating  into  its  positive  and  negative 

1  The  Secret  Doctrine,  Blavatsky,  Vol.  I,  p.   138. 


The    Voice    of   I  sis  415 

rays;  the  Mother  (Isis,  or  the  Holy  Ghost),  and  the 
right  hand  line  the  Father  (Osiris).  These  two  send 
out  their  forces  to  form  the  base  line,  Horus,  the  Son, 
The  Christ-principle  poured  forth  and  raining  down 
upon  the  lower  world,  to  manifest  in  all  kingdoms  as 
the  Great  Creative  Principle  which  shall  redeem  them. 

As  used  in  this  seal,  the  Triangle  is  composed  of 
two  sets  of  lines,  representing  either  the  masculine  and 
feminine  forces  or  involution  and  evolution.  The 
inner  line,  the  feminine,  also  stands  for  Intuition  and 
Love,  while  the  outer  line  represents  Intellect  and 
Wisdom.  The  spaces  between  the  lines  represent  the 
three  planes  of  manifestation — physical,  mental  and 
spiritual. 

Just  as  it  is  impossible  to  draw  an  equilateral  tri- 
angle within  a  circle  without  leaving  three  spaces,  so 
is  it  impossible  for  the  Trinity  to  express  itself  within 
the  circle  of  manifestation  without  manifesting  the 
three  worlds.  Hence  these  three  spaces  symbolize  the 
three  worlds  or  three  states  of  consciousness. 

Within  each  of  these  three  spaces  there  is  a  five- 
pointed  star,  representing  man  with  his  five  senses 
and  five  extremities  (hands,  feet,  head).  The  symbol 
represents  man  as  existing  upon  the  three  planes  of 
manifestation  and  using  his  five  senses  in  each  of  the 
three  states  of  consciousness.  A  man  using  his  five 
senses  on  three  planes  of  manifestation  makes  the 
number  15.  Also  1+5=6,  thus  announcing  through 
the  symbol  that  this  Order  is  a  Sixth  Race  movement, 
and  that  only  by  teaching  man  to  use  his  five  senses 
on  all  three  planes  can  he  prepare  for  the  great  Sixth 
Race.  As  6  is  the  number  of  The  Christ  (man  5  plus 
Divinity  1)  it  symbolizes  that  this  movement  is  an- 
other attempt  to  bring  the  teachings  of  The  Christ 
to  humanity.  In  other  words  this  symbol  should  in- 


416  The    Voice    of   I  sis 

spire  man  to  stand  erect,  and  with  all  his  known  fac- 
ulties illumined  by  the  Light  of  Truth,  fearlessly  pene- 
trate into  the  mysteries  of  his  being. 

THE   MOTTO. 

The  motto  of  the  Order  is  Dare,  Do,  Keep  Silent, 
hence  this  must  be  the  measure  of  its  work.  These 
words  being  placed  between  the  double  lines  of  the 
triangle  show  how  man  can  conquer  the  three  planes 
of  consciousness.  He  must  Dare  to  penetrate  into 
the  deeper  mysteries  of  life ;  Dare  to  follow  the  guid- 
ance of  his  Father-in-heaven  and  Dare  to  face  himself 
and  live  up  to  his  highest  ideals  without  regard  to  the 
opinions  of  his  friends  or  enemies.  He  must  Do  the 
will  of  his  Higher  Self  and  manifest  it  in  his  daily  life. 
He  must  Do  with  all  his  heart  the  duty  that  his  hands 
find  to  do,  the  duty  that  lies  nearest,  and  Do  unto  oth- 
ers as  he  would  they  should  do  unto  him.  He  should 
Keep  Silent  concerning  the  sacred  experiences  of  his 
inner  life  when  among  those  who  cannot  understand ; 
should  Keep  Silent  concerning  his  own  attainments, 
also  when  tempted  to  criticize  others.  Keep  Silent 
also  has  reference  to  that  silent  hush  of  the  physical 
and  mental  activities  that  must  come  ere  the  higher 
centers  can  catch  and  transmit  the  vibrations  from  the 
higher  planes.  These  words  form  the  triple  key  that 
will  unlock  for  man  the  doors  of  his  inner  conscious- 
ness and  enable  him  to  function  on  all  planes  and  mas- 
ster  all  states  of  consciousness. 

Taking  the  seal  in  its  entirety,  it  shows  to  an  Initiate 
that  this  Order  is  put  forth  by  The  Lodge  to  help  man, 
through  the  use  of  his  five  known  senses  on  all  planes, 
to  unfold  his  higher  (unknown)  faculties  and  reach 
up  to  the  Divine.  Many  students  of  the  higher  life 
are  striving  to  unfold  and  use  their  sixth  and  sev- 
enth senses  before  they  have  learned  to  use  their  five 


The    Voice    of   Isis 


417 


known  senses  on  all  planes.  If  such  a  thing  were  pos- 
sible it  would  make  a  gap  in  their  evolution  which  noth- 
ing could  bridge,  and  they  would  sooner  or  later  find 
themselves  plunged  into  the  depths  of  error. 

The  whole,  being  inscribed  in  a  circle  representing 
limitless  Time  in  Eternity,  shows  that  the  symbol  is 
active  within  this  cycle  of  manifestation;  moreover 
that  it  is  intended  as  a  direct  preparation  for  the  Sixth 
Great  Race. 


APPENDIX  A. 

HOW  TO  FORM  A  STUDY  CLASS. 

In  the  study  of  mysticism  and  occultism,  in  addition 
to  the  careful  reading  and  meditation  upon  the  ideals 
presented,  it  is  helpful  to  have  a  number  who  are  in- 
terested in  the  same  teachings  organize  a  class  and 
study  together.  The  union  of  the  auras  of  a  number  of 
harmonized  students  creates  a  vortex  into  which  a 
strong  force  of  enlightenment  on  the  subject  studied 
is  naturally  drawn. 

Arrange  to  meet  regularly  at  some  convenient  place, 
such  as  a  member's  home,  in  the  evening  if  possible, 
as  this  permits  both  men  and  women  to  attend,  and 
choose  one  of  your  number  to  read  the  lesson.  Select 
a  few  pages  of  the  book  a  week  in  advance  of  the 
meeting  and  have  each  member  carefully  study  and 
meditate  upon  them  during  the  week,  making  notes  of 
the  ideas  that  seem  most  important. 

Begin  promptly  at  the  hour  designated.  Open  the 
meeting  with  a  period  of  Silence  in  which  you  still 
your  mind,  turn  the  current  of  your  thoughts  from 
the  affairs  of  daily  life  and  concentrate  them  upon 
some  harmonizing  topic  announced  beforehand,  such 
as  harmony,  peace,  light,  love,  understanding,  etc. 
Have  the  leader  read  a  few  lines  from  the  lesson 
selected  and  all  who  feel  so  prompted  comment 
thereon,  especially  giving  the  new  ideas  that  may  have 
come  to  them  during  their  study.  Invite  interruptions 
and  discussion.  Any  questions  you  cannot  answer 
send  to  the  Superintendent  of  Local  Centers,  who  will 
submit  them  to  the  Teacher  and  explanations  will  be 


The    Voice   of   Isis  419 

returned  as  soon  as  possible.  Keep  a  kindly  but  firm 
rein  over  all  discussions,  allowing  plenty  of  latitude,  so 
long  as  it  does  not  stray  too  far  away  from  the  subject. 
Studiously  avoid  arguments.  One  should  state  one's 
interpretation  of  the  passage  under  discussion  and  let 
it  rest  there.  It  will  be  excellent  training  in  clear 
thinking  to  formulate  your  opinion  as  definitely  as 
possible.  Do  not  try  to  convince  others  or  impose  your 
views  upon  them.  Simply  state  your  views  and  grant 
to  others  the  same  freedom  of  thought  and  expression 
which  you  desire  for  yourself.  Above  all  be  cheerful 
and  goodnatured  and  let  peace,  harmony  and  love 
abound,  for  without  these  conditions  the  study  will 
degenerate  into  mere  intellectual  discussions  and  the 
Voice  of  Intuition  which  you  are  seeking  to  cultivate 
will  be  drowned  out. 

In  this  way  meetings  become  intensely  interesting 
and  helpful,  for  the  different  view  points  brought  out 
serve  to  make  clear  phases  of  the  subject  not  always 
in  the  printed .  lesson.  Thus  one  lesson  will  often 
extend  over  three  or  four  meetings.  Strive  ever  to 
bring  out  the  heart  or  Christ  side  in  all  your  discus- 
sions of  the  lesson,  not  permitting  the  intellectual  to 
predominate.  Seek  for  the  loving  help  that  is  con- 
tained in  each  lesson  and  always  conclude  by  pointing 
it  out  plainly  so  that  all  can  see  and  carry  it  home 
with  them. 

Let  all  the  students  strive  continually  to  spread  the 
Teachings  wherever  and  whenever  Wisdom  inspires 
them,  but  do  not  seek  to  force  them  upon  anyone. 
Have  them  invite  their  friends  to  the  meetings,  those 
to  whom  they  are  led  to  talk  and  who  become  inter- 
ested, but  not  to  be  anxious  about  their  coming,  leaving 
them  free  to  follow  the  leadings  of  their  own  hearts. 


420 


The    Voice    of   Isis 


Try  to  send  in  monthly  reports  of  the  progress  of 
your  meetings  and  of  the  different  members,  always 
encouraging,  however,  personal  correspondence  direct 
with  the  Order  when  a  student  is  confronted  with  a 
vital  Soul  problem. 

If  a  name  is  chosen  for  the  class  remember  that 
names  have  occult  powers  and  the  class  will  have  to 
demonstrate  that  it  can  live  up  to  the  name  chosen. 

After  the  class  has  been  working  harmoniously  for 
some  time,  if  it  is  desired  to  expand  it  into  a  Local 
Center  of  the  Order  to  carry  on  a  more  organized  line 
of  work,  write  to  the  Superintendent  of  Local  Centers 
for  further  information. 


I 


APPENDIX  B. 

ANNOUNCEMENT. 

"Behold,  I  bring  unto  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy." 

To  all  students  of  the  higher  life  who  truly  desire 
to  progress,  and  who  wish  the  opportunity  of  coming 
into  closer  personal  touch  with  those  Masters  of  Wis- 
dom, who,  through  all  ages,  have  been  the  Teachers, 
Guides  and  Elder  Brothers  of  humanity,  there  comes 
the  following  message: 

In  accordance  with  the  geometrical  design  of  the 
universe,  a  point  in  evolution  is  now  reached  when  an 
advanced  Order  has  been  established  upon  the  earth 
plane.  This  Order  is  not  an  organization  in  the  gen- 
eral acceptation  of  the  term,  nor  is  it  connected  either 
with  the  outer  or  inner  work  of  any  other  occult  organ- 
ization now  in  existence  on  the  physical-plane.  It  is  a 
new  unifying,  Spiritual  Movement  put  forth  by  those 
Great  Intelligences  who  are  the  Guides  and  Teachers 
of  humanity.  According  to  its  fundamental  principles, 
only  such  earnest  students  can  be  admitted  to  full 
membership  as  have  proven  their  devotion  to  human- 
ity, and  have  sent  out  their  cry  for  further  enlighten- 
ment and  help.  All  such  persons  are  welcomed  into 
this  Order,  and  such  probationary  lessons  will  be  sent 
them,  from  time  to  time,  as  will  afford  them  an  oppor- 
tunity of  coming  into  close  fellowship  and  conscious 
communion  with  the  Masters  of  Wisdom.  Under- 
stand this  point  clearly:  It  will  be  only  through  your 
own  individual  effort,  your  attitude  of  Soul  and  the 
character  of  your  subsequent  life  that  will  enable  you 
to  place  yourself  in  personal,  conscious  touch  with  the 
Masters.  It  depends  upon  no  personality  but  your 
own. 


422  The    Voice    of   I  sis 

No  vows  or  pledges  are  asked  of  Associate  Students, 
for  only  those  are  eligible  to  full  membership  in  this 
Order  who  have  voluntarily  given  up  their  lives  to 
the  higher  law,  and  have  already  vowed  allegiance  to 
their  own  Higher  Self.  But  all  who  sincerely  desire 
the  help  this  Order  offers  are  welcomed  as  Associate 
Students. 

The  teachings  of  this  Order  will  not  conflict  with 
any  duties  of  life,  or  with  membership  in  other  organ- 
izations, or  membership  in  any  religious  denomina- 
tion. 


APPENDIX  C. 

SPECIAL  INFORMATION. 

The  Order  of  the  15  is  but  one  name  for  a  great 
Cosmic  Order  which  has  always  existed  and  through 
which  all  Souls  who  have  reached  Mastery  have  passed 
on  some  plane  at  a  certain  stage  of  their  evolution. 
It  has  been  represented  upon  the  earth-plane  at  cer- 
tain cyclic  intervals  in  all  ages  and  it  has  been  known 
under  various  names.  Its  manifestation  upon  the 
earth-plane  during  the  present  cycle  began  on  January 
1st,  1908,  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  in  less  than  three 
years  it  encircled  the  globe,  having  pupils — including 
Christian  and  Buddhistic  missionaries — in  China, 
Japan,  India  and  the  heart  of  Africa,  as  well  as  in 
almost  every  civilized  country  of  the  globe. 

THE  ORDER  OF  THE  15. 

The  Order  of  the  15  is  a  non-sectarian  move- 
ment for  the  promulgation  of  Christian  Mysticism.  It 
is  a  response  to  the  heart-hunger  of  humanity  for  a 
clearer  understanding  of  the  laws  of  The  Christ-life. 
It  is  not  put  forth  to  form  a  new  sect  or  cult,  to  further 
divide  up  and  separate  humanity,  or  to  form  another 
pigeonhole  in  which  to  isolate  a  few  followers,  nor 
does  it  come  to  secure  a  following  for  any  human 
leader  or  personality.  It  is  an  impersonal  and  uni- 
versal unifying,  Spiritual  Movement,  without  creed, 
dogma,  rules  or  pledges.  Instead  of  emphasizing 
the  differences  between  its  teachings  and  all  others,  it 
strives  to  establish  a  platform  so  universal  that  its 
pupils  can  find  in  it  some  one  thing  to  which  they 
can  agree,  even  though  that  one  thing  be  not  the  same 
for  all — and  thus  become  a  link  to  join  the  best  efforts 


424  The    Voice    of   Isis 

of  all  into  one  great  universal  effort  to  make  Brother- 
hood manifest  on  earth.  For  true  Brotherhood  does 
not  mean  all  thinking  alike,  but  each  recognizing 
Truth  wherever  found  and  demonstrating  love  and 
tolerance  toward  those  who  find  a  different  aspect  of 
Truth  more  helpful. 

This  Order  does  not  ask  its  pupils  to  leave  any 
church,  society  or  organization  in  which  they  feel  they 
can  do  their  best  work  for  humanity.  It  but  seeks 
to  help  all  to  understand  the  workings  of  the  great 
fundamental  Law  of  Love,  and  thus  enable  them  to 
do  their  own  work  the  better,  in  their  own  way  and 
place.  It  asks  no  one  to  subordinate  his  individuality 
or  to  follow  any  leader,  but  leaves  all  free  to  follow 
the  Truth  as  revealed  to  them.  It  does  not  require 
that  any  of  its  teachings  be  accepted  by  its  students 
because  some  authority  says  they  are  true,  for  unless 
a  teaching  appeals  to  the  heart  and  rings  true  to  a  Soul 
it  is  not  true  to  that  Soul.  Truth  is  not  an  abstract 
principle.  It  is  that  which  remains  as  pure  gold  after 
passing  through  the  fires  of  daily  living  and  testing. 
Hence,  no  authority  is  enforced,  except  the  authority 
of  that  Voice  within  each  heart  which  recognizes  and 
witnesses  to  Truth  wherever  found. 

ORGANIZATIONS. 

All  organizations  and  movements  which  receive  help 
from  the  Masters  of  Wisdom  have  their  own  particular 
work  to  do.  Whether  they  have  succeeded  in  the 
task  set  before  them,  or  whether  they  have  failed,  is 
clearly  shown  by  their  results,  and  the  same  rule  must 
be  applied  to  the  work  of  this  Order.  But  many  stu- 
dents have  outgrown  organizations,  having  found 
them  too  narrow  and  their  necessary  limitations  too 
binding.  This  is  but  a  natural  feature  of  growth  and 


The    Voice    of   Isis  425 

again  proves  the  Great  law,  "As  above,  so  below;" 
just  as  the  seed,  when  first  planted,  is  confined  in  a 
protective  sheath  from  which,  in  the  process  of 
growth,  it  will  burst  forth.  Hence,  an  avenue  of  in- 
struction and  help  has  been  put  forth  that  is  not  an 
organization  and  which  is  not  limited  in  its  activities. 
This  movement  is  not  an  organization  because  it 
has  no  constitution  or  by-laws,  no  officers  (except  the 
Secretary),  requires  no  pledges  and  no  dues  and  does 
not  restrict  a  student's  activity  in  any  society  or  or- 
ganization. Therefore  it  is  not  antagonistic  to,  or  a 
rival  of,  any  existing  organization  that  is  helping  hu- 
manity, but  permits  perfect  freedom.  It  holds  out  the 
hand  of  Brotherhood  to  each  and  gives  to  all 
an  opportunity  to  prove  the  ideals  of  Brotherhood 
and  tolerance  which  they  profess. 

AS  TO   OTHER   MOVEMENTS. 

Although  we  emphasized  our  relation  to  organiza- 
tions in  the  beginning  by  placing  the  statement  in 
italics,  yet  it  is  overlooked  by  many.  Therefore  we 
will  restate  our  position  more  fully  herewith,  so  that 
in  the  future  there  may  be  no  question  as  to  the  sig- 
nificance of  this  Movement  and  its  relation  to  all 
others. 

We  can  but  reiterate  that  while  we  are  not  con- 
nected, in  any  zvay,  with  the  outer  or  inner  workings 
of  any  other  organization  now  on  the  earth-plane f 
nevertheless  we  stand  for  Truth  wherever  found,  our 
motto  being,  "By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them." 

Under  no  circumstances  do  we  criticise  any.  If  an 
organization,  society  or  movement  has  helped  one 
Soul  to  take  one  step  upon  the  Path  to  Mastery  it  has 
not  wrought  in  vain. 

"Whosoever  shall  give  to  drink  unto  one  of  these 
little  ones  a  cup  of  cold  water  only  in  the  name  of  a 


426  The    Voice    of    Isis 

disciple,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  he  shall  in  no  wise  lose 
his  reward!  .  .  .  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it 
unto  one  of  the  least  of  these,  my  brethren,  ye  have 
done  it  unto  me." 

The  fact  that  a  teaching  attracts  and  helps  you  is 
evidence  that  it  contains  the  lessons  needed  by  you 
for  the  step  you  are  taking.  The  fact  that  a  move- 
ment no  longer  appeals  to  you,  no  matter  how  helpful 
it  may  be  to  others,  is  evidence  either  that  your  Soul 
has  learned  the  lessons  that  movement  had  for  you — 
even  though  not  mastered  intellectually — or  that  the 
movement,  no  matter  how  beautifully  conceived  and 
launched,  has  become  tainted  with  something  that  is 
not  helpful,  or  is  perhaps  distinctly  injurious  to  your 
physical,  mental,  moral  or  spiritual  growth.  Hence, 
to  remain  connected  with  an  organization  to  which 
you  no  longer  feel  drawn,  or  which  you  have  out- 
grown, is  as  detrimental  to  your  Soul-growth  as  it 
would  be  for  a  flower  to  remain  in  a  pot  which  had 
become  too  small  for  it  or  whose  soil  had  become  ex- 
hausted or  contaminated.  No  vows  given  to  any 
earthly  organization  can  bind  a  Soul  which,  through 
natural  growth,  has  evolved  beyond  them. 

Each  movement  that  aims  to  help  humanity  has  its 
own  place  and  its  own  work.  Colored  blocks  are 
necessary  in  the  kindergarten,  primers  for  children, 
text-books  for  the  training  of  the  mind  in  school  and 
college;  but  when  the  mind  has  been  trained  it  must 
then  put  that  training  to  use  in  a  practical  way:  in 
business,  under  the  head  of  the  firm  or  manager;  in 
art,  under  a  great  teacher;  in  spiritual  things,  under 
a  Master  of  Wisdom.  But  remember  that,  because 
you  are  no  longer  interested  in  the  colored  blocks  or 
primers  you  once  thought  so  beautiful,  you  are  not  to 
despise  the  children  who  still  cling  to  them,  or  find 


The    Voice    of   Isis  427 

fault  with  the  teachers  of  the  a-b-c's.  All  have  their 
place,  and  the  children  will  grow  away  from  the 
blocks  when  they  have  learned  their  lessons,  just  as 
you  have  grown.  And  the  proof  that  you  have  out- 
grown earthly  organizations  will  be  the  love  and  toler- 
ance with  which  you  treat  all  your  brothers  and  sis- 
ters who  still  feel  the  need  of  such  methods.  To  rail 
at  organizations,  especially  one  which  has  helped  you 
to  reach  your  present  state,  and  those  who  work  in 
them,  is  proof  that  you  still  need  their  discipline. 
Every  uplifting  movement  or  teaching  has  its  place 
and  has  for  followers  those  who  need  its  lessons. 

AIMS    OF    THIS    MOVEMENT. 

One  of  the  chief  objects  of  this  Movement  is  to 
correlate  advanced  philosophical  teachings  with  the 
orthodox  Christian  teachings;  to  form  a  neutral 
ground  where  both  can  meet  and  recognize  Truth, 
and  to  reach  the  great  mass  of  people  who  will  not 
join  organizations  or  occult  societies  of  any  kind.  On 
this  account  we  may  disappoint  many  intellectual  stu- 
dents, for  our  language  will  purposely  be  made  sim- 
ple, and  the  great  truths  which  we  set  forth  will  be  so 
stated  as  to  appeal  to  minds  schooled  in  Western 
religious  thought.  Our  great  object  is  to  enable  all 
sections  of  spiritual  seekers — New  Thought,  Spirit- 
ualism, Theosophy,  Christianity,  in  fact  all  lovers  of 
Truth — to  draw  together  at  the  heart  center.  This 
is  a  necessary  preparation  for  the  near  advent  of  the 
great  Spiritual  Teacher  for  the  Western  world  who  is 
soon  to  appear,  the  Avatar.  The  good  news  of  His 
quick  coming  must  be  given  "unto  all  people,"  not 
merely  to  a  few  intellectual  thinkers.  All  schools  of 
spiritual  thought  need  this  preparation. 

The  great  psychic  awakening  now  sweeping  over 
the  land  has  brought  many  students  to  the  point  where 


428  The    Voice   of   Isis 

their  inner  faculties  are  unfolding.  This  is  a  point  of 
great  danger,  for  here  the  two  paths — the  Right 
Hand  and  the  Left  Hand — diverge.  This  Order  may 
be  called  a  wayside  House  of  Rest,  placed  at  the 
point  of  divergence  of  the  paths,  at  whose  door  every 
pilgrim  who  knocks  finds  welcome,  and  within  rest, 
sympathy,  understanding  and  encouragement,  also  a 
guide  to  lead  him  safely  past  the  many  dangers  and 
pitfalls  that  surround  the  entrance  to  the  Right  Hand 
Path.  This  is  a  personal  work  which  could  not  be 
accomplished  by  any  organization  limited  by  set  rules. 

While  the  teachings  of  this  Order  are  those  of  the 
Wisdom  Religion,  they  are  not  theosophic  in  the  sense 
of  being  put  forth  by  any  of  the  numerous  societies 
promulgating  such  teachings,  for  they  deal  with  the 
Christian  Bible  quite  as  much  as  with  Eastern 
teachings. 

One  object  of  these  teachings  is  to  bring  to  the  at- 
tention of  the  world,  as  simply  as  possible,  the  Pearls 
of  Wisdom  in  the  teachings  of  the  Master  Jesus — 
pearls  that  have  been  overlaid  with  wordy  misconcep- 
tions so  long  as  to  be  almost  unrecognisable. 

As  all  religions,  sects  and  creeds  contain  at  least  a 
germ  of  Truth,  our  aim  is  to  help  each  one  to  find 
that  germ  in  his  own  teachings,  and  to  purify  and 
develop  it  into  the  Tree  of  Life  in  his  own  garden. 
We  thus  help  them  to  purify  their  conception  of  Truth 
as  expressed  in  their  own  religion. 

There  is  a  real  necessity  for  the  various  presenta- 
tions of  Truth  as  given  to  the  world;  for  just  as  the 
climate,  flora  and  fauna  of  a  country,  and  the  lan- 
guage and  customs  of  its  people  vary  in  different 
parts  of  the  world,  so  must  Truth  garb  itself  in  habili- 
ments suited  to  the  modes  of  thought  of  the  people 
to  whom  it  is  given.  There  is  a  deep,  occult  reason 


The    Voice   of   Isis  429 

underlying  this  law,  and  St.  Paul  recognized  it  when 
he  said,  "Be  ye  all  things  unto  all  men."  There  comes 
a  time,  however,  in  all  organized  bodies  giving  out 
spiritual  teachings  when  some  student  will  advance  as 
far  or  farther  than  the  leaders  of  the  organization. 
And  since  it  is  only  natural  for  such  leaders  to  assume 
that  they  are  more  advanced  than  any  of  their  stu- 
dents, inharmony  and  dissatisfaction  or  even  seces- 
sion result. 

In  the  development  of  all  students  a  point  is  reached 
where  they  need  the  advanced,  personal  instruction, 
not  of  any  leaders — who  are  themselves  but  students — 
but  of  One  who  has  at  His  command  all  knowl- 
edge and  all  wisdom,  i.  e.,  a  Master  of  Wisdom.1 
It  is  in  answer  to  this  personal  need  that  The  Lodge 
of  Masters  has  put  forth  The  Order  of  the  15  at  this 
time.  It  comes  as  a  direct  response  to  the  prayers  of 
many,  many  hearts  for  more  light,  love,  sympathy 
and  personal  guidance  in  the  problems  of  their  spir- 
itual life. 

As  this  continent  is  to  be  the  home  of  a  new  Race 
which  will  ultimately  perfect  itself  by  the  survival  and 
interblending  of  the  fittest  of  all  the  races  now  exist- 
ing, so  must  its  religious  thought  be  blended  and  puri- 
fied that  it  may  emerge  as  a  pure  ray  which  has 
gathered  into  itself  the  force  from  all  its  sub-rays. 

The  Order  of  the  15  is  put  forth  in  an  effort  to 
awaken  The  Christ-love  in  the  hearts  of  men,  rather 
than  to  cater  to  the  intellect  or  the  desire  for  psychic 
powers;  for  only  those  who  can  correlate  with  The 
Christ-power  can  be  gathered  together  to  form  a  nu- 
cleus in  which  this  Power  can  be  individualized  on 
earth.  The  aim  of  this  Movement  is  especially  to  help 

1  It  is  understood,  of  course,  that  the  Secretary  does  not  answer 
the  letters  or  compose  the  teachings.  He  is  merely  the  Secretary  in  the 
ordinary  sense  of  the  word. 


430  The    Voice    of   Isis 

all  Christian  people  to  find  the  deep,  underlying,  vital 
truths  common  to  all  religions  in  their  own,  and  thus 
truly,  and  in  the  only  way  possible,  prepare  for  an 
Universal  Brotherhood  on  earth  in  which  each  Soul 
shall  find  the  same  vital  truths  spoken  in  his  own 
language,  i.  e.,  couched  and  taught  in  terms  of  the 
religion  in  which  he  was  born.1 

FINANCIAL    OBLIGATIONS. 

In  this  present  age  the  Masters  must  work  through 
human  agencies  and  the  moment  you  determine  to 
give  of  yourself  and  your  worldly  substance  to  this 
work  you  become  Their  recognized  agent.  But  if 
you  desire  to  help  humanity  through  this  avenue  and 
to  receive  the  personal  training  necessary  to  do 
efficient  work,  and  have  no  worldly  substance  to  give, 
do  not  hesitate  on  that  account,  for  you  can  only  give 
of  that  which  you  have  to  give. 

In  such  an  Order  dues,  as  such,  would  be  impos- 
sible, for  there  can  be  no  price  placed  upon  spiritual 
truth.  But  as  the  workers  at  the  headquarters  give 
their  time  and  talents  without  salary,  and  as  the  ex- 
penses incident  to  a  world-wide  Movement  must  be 
provided  for,  it  is  expected  that  all  who  desire  to 
help  will  voluntarily  aid  the  work  by  contributions 
in  accordance  with  their  ability  and  the  Law  of  exact 
Justice.  It  is  a  primal  law  of  occultism  that,  no  mat- 
ter how  much  is  set  before  you,  you  are  able  to  assim- 
ilate only  in  exact  ratio  with  the  spirit  of  helping 
others  which  you  display.  If  the  teachings  help  you 
it  will  be  evidence  that  they  can  help  others,  hence 
that  you  can  best  serve  humanity  by  making  it  pos- 
sible to  spread  these  teachings  abroad. 

Of  course  this  Movement  cannot  be  carried  on 
without  financial  support  and  it  greatly  needs  such 

1  See  Acts  II,  6. 


The    Voice    of   I  sis  431 

support — for  the  Law  of  Justice  permits  humanity  to 
be  helped  only  to  the  extent  that,  through  its  own 
efforts,  it  makes  it  possible  for  the  help  to  reach  it. 
If  you  feel  an  inner  urge  to  study  with  us,  and  if  you 
find  that  the  lessons  help  you,  you  will  naturally  desire 
to  make  it  possible  for  other  Souls  to  receive  the  same. 
Therefore,  out  of  pure  love  and  a  desire  to  help 
others  you  will  give  as  much  as  you  can  afford.  Let 
all  give  according  to  their  ability. 


APPENDIX  D. 

HOW   TO  JOIN. 

A  simple  announcement  of  your  desire  to  study 
with  us  and  a  realisation  of  your  obligation  to  help  us 
in  return  is  all  that  is  necessary.  The  help  we  ask  is 
just  what  your  conscience  tells  you  is  the  right  and 
proper  thing  to  do  in  accordance  with  your  worldly 
means.  Many  will  be  unable  to  give  financial  aid  and 
from  those  we  ask  love  and  helpful  thoughts.  If  we 
demanded  financial  aid  we  would  at  once  put  ourselves 
outside  the  radius  of  the  Spiritual  Force,  therefore 
we  simply  trust  and  believe  that  the  desire  to  help 
carry  on  the  work  will  be  implanted  in  each  heart  to 
whom  this  circular  appeals,  and  that  the  response  will 
be  such  as  to  enable  this  Movement  to  become  the 
great  power  for  good  that  it  is  intended  to  be.  To 
do  this,  however,  all  interested  must  make  it  their 
work  and  give  it  such  financial  aid  as  they  can,  as 
well  as  the  devotion  and  love  of  their  hearts.  In 
short,  it  must  be  looked  upon  as  a  privilege  to  co- 
operate in  this  great  work. 

All  contributions,  both  large  and  small,  will  be 
gratefully  received  and  promptly  acknowledged.  No 
matter  what  amount  is  given,  the  real  offering  is  the 
loving  desire  to  help.  "Let  every  man  do  according 
as  he  is  disposed  in  his  heart,  not  grudgingly,  or  of 
necessity,  for  God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver." 

To  all  who  desire  to  study  with  us  we  will  send  a 
printed  lesson  each  month.  In  addition  to  this, 
whenever  a  pupil  is  facing  a  vital  problem  of  life,  or 
when  confronted  with  a  question  whose  solution  is  of 
importance  to  his  spiritual  growth,  he  has  the  privi- 


The    Voice    of   Isis  433 

lege  of  writing  to  the  Teacher  of  the  Order  and  briefly 
stating  his  need.  The  reply  will  contain  the  love, 
sympathy  and  guidance  needed  by  him  for  his  spir- 
itual welfare.  All  such  letters  should  be  addressed 
to  the  Secretary,  who  will  refer  them  to  the  Teacher 
and  transmit  the  reply  in  the  strictest  confidence. 

Pupils  are  furnished  with  lessons  for  six  months  on 
trial.  At  the  end  of  that  time  if  they  have  in  no  way 
expressed  their  appreciation  of  the  teachings,  the 
lessons  are  discontinued,  for  the  income  from  con- 
tributions does  not  keep  pace  with  the  expenses,  and 
with  our  limited  funds  we  cannot  afford  to  send  les- 
sons to  those  not  vitally  interested  in  the  particular 
work  of  this  Order.  Those  who  do  not  find  the 
lessons  helpful  are  requested  to  notify  us  to  discon- 
tinue them. 

You  will  greatly  facilitate  our  work  if  before  ask- 
ing questions  in  regard  to  it  you  will  carefully  study 
this  Appendix  to  see  if  the  information  you  desire  is 
not  contained  therein. 

Address  F.  Homer  Curtiss,  M.  D.,  Secretary 

International  Headquarters 
1723  McCadden  Place,  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  U.  S.  A. 

Our  correspondence  is  so  large  that  we  cannot 
answer  letters  immediately,  but  will  always  endeavor 
to  do  so  within  one  week  after  their  receipt. 


INDEX 


Abyss,    the    great,    48. 

Acid,    oceans    of    carbonic,    205. 

Acts,    quoted,     153,    393. 

Adam,    first    was    sexless,    233;     means 

red   earth,    243;    punishment   of,   247; 

sleep    of,    243. 
Adam   and   Eve,   Third   Race,   232,   242; 

banished   because,   246. 
Aeroplane,     perfected     by     Atlanteans, 

388. 
Age,     Golden,    239;     Kali    Yuga,     152; 

Lemurian  or  Jurassic,   232; 
Alchemy,     15     the     Order     of,     62;     of 

Nature,   318;    use  of   salt   in,   386. 
Alcohol,   see   Chapter   VII;   composition 

of,     100;     escapes     into     astral,     100; 

results   of   use,    100. 
Alcyone,    solar   system   journeys    round, 

39. 

Allegiance,    to    Teacher    must    be    un- 
swerving,  21. 
Allegory,  Bible  an,  355;   of  Jesus'  life, 

342. 
Alphabet,     four     letters     of     Nature's, 

358;  tells  story  of  life,  369;  Nature's 

Mystic,   see  Chapter   XXVIII;   origin 

of    the,    254. 

Aluminum,  metal  of  Jupiter;  blue,  262. 
Ambition,     astral     entities     work     upon 

pupil's,   264;   third   temptation,   292. 
Amos,    quoted,    152. 
Ancestors,    arts   taught   by   Divine,    235; 

Lunar,   180-1-4;   work  of,   180;   Solar, 

182-4. 
Androgynous,    early    Third    Race    was, 

188,   231;   question  of  condition,    162. 
Angel,    of    flaming    sword,    173;    of   the 

Lord,    316;    the    Guardian,    372;    who 

announced    Jesus,     153. 
Angels,     are    messengers,     342;     behold 

only      The      Christ,      343;      feminine 

aspect  of  humanity,   343;   the   Seven, 

186. 
Animals,    breeding    advances    the,    402; 

follow  normal  instinct,  215;  governed 

by     a     Group-Soul,     170,     215,     286; 

higher  intelligence  in,  286;  lack  free- 
will, 286;   suffering  of  wild,   403. 
Announcement,  of  the  Order,  421. 
Annunciation,    Order    of    the,    62. 
Ape,    in    the    world-forest,    371. 
Apes,   man  not  descended  from,   233-5; 

origin   of,    54. 
Apollonius,   mantle   of,    368. 


Approval,    striving    for,    130. 

Aquarius,  One  of  Ezekiel's  four  sacred 
animals,  39;  sign  of  Son  of  Man, 
Man  from  the  East,  39;  Uranus  en- 
tered, in  1912,  39;  Manus  remains 
7  years  in,  39. 

Arabs,   use   of  salt   among,    390. 

Argument,    avoid,    419. 

Ark,   of   Noah,   263. 

Arts,  taught  by  Divine  Ancestors,  235; 
the  lost,  387. 

Astral,  see  teachers;  bodies  evolved 
by,  181;  defined,  156;  life  in  the, 
156-7;  teachers,  knowledge  limited, 
107;  work  on  pupil's  ambition,  264. 

Astral    entities,    see    entities. 

Astral-plane,  definition  of,  note  to, 
156;  ruled  by  violet,  365. 

Astral  world,  special  training  needed 
before  entering,  71. 

Atlanteans,  236;  culmination  of  phy- 
sical man,  236;  degeneration  of, 
237;  degraded  sex- force,  246;  leg- 
ends concerning,  236;  perfected 
aeroplane,  388;  sixth  and  seventh 
sub-races  of,  237;  worshiped  the 
body,  261. 

Atlantis,  cause  of  destruction  of,  246; 
destruction  began,  189;  the  flood  of, 
236. 

At-one-ment,  Bible  shows  steps  of,  77; 
lessons  necessary  to,  132;  of  a 
planet,  44. 

Attainment,  not  far  off,  177,  267;  only 
Path  of,  74;  Soul  must  prove  its, 
276. 

Attention,    focused   on    personality,    130. 

Aura,  color  of,  362;  condensed  by, 
344;  determined  by,  39;  forces  form 
a  protecting,  49;  of  earth  infected, 
219;  thoughts  preserved  in  earth's, 
388. 

Automobile,   Karma   illustrated   by,    119. 

Avatar,  see  Chapter  X;  appearance  de- 
termined by,  140;  Avesha,  how  to 
judge  an;  messages  of,  differ,  144; 
in  every  movement,  145 ;  body  of  an, 
139,  151;  definition  of;  has  no 
Karma,  137;  Jesus  a  direct,  139; 
Krishna,  an,  140;  need  for  an,  141; 
not  a  mortal,  138-9;  prophesies  of, 
147;  responding  to  the,  26;  teaches 
Wisdom  Religion,  147;  time  of  com- 
ing, 148;  to  prepare  for  the,  410. 

Axioms,  occult;  as  above,  so  below, 
189;  when  the  pupil  is  ready,  71. 


Index 


B 

Baal,    priests    of,    264. 

Babel,  tower  of  237. 

Bacteria,   origin   of,  219. 

Balance,    the    Law    as,    197. 

Baptist,  John  the,   144;   383. 

Barefoot,  Friars,  309;  meaning  of 
symbol,  317;  reason  for  going,  308. 

Barnacles,    symbol    of    the,    135. 

Battle,  between  good  and  evil,  248;  is 
not  one  sided;  not  outside  of  self, 
92;  never  fight  another's,  92. 

Bhagavad-Gita,  quoted,  30-3-7;  140,  269, 
356,  378. 

Bible,  Allegory  of  Fifth  Race,  355;  not 
literal,  370;  symbol  of  Red  Ray,  189; 
symbolic,  not  historical,  75;  synthetic 
picture,  379. 

Bird,  of  Life,  bestride  the,   126-7-8,  133. 

Black  is  no  color,  360;  9  is  number  of, 
359. 

Blood  circulation,  illustrates  Karma, 
122-3;  humanity  the,  of  Heavenly 
Man,  122;  salt  necessary  to,  386; 
strike  on  the  lintel,  110;  symbology 
of,  189,  190,  326. 

Blue,  office  of,  362;  corresponds  to 
Jupiter,  tin,  aluminum,  362. 

Boat,    of    personality    rocks,    38. 

Body,  conditions  for  creating  a,  219, 
224;  effect  on  mental,  82;  evolved 
by  Lunar  Fathers,  181-4;  has  normal 
animal  desires,  215;  must  sanctify 
and  control,  215;  no  function  of  im- 
pure, 216;  of  humanity,  273;  sex  of 
corresponds  to  Soul,  exceptions  160- 
1;  worshiped,  183,  259,  261. 

Body,  spiritual;  of  the  Avatar,  139; 
151;  must  feed,  74. 

Brain,  channels  in,  304;  must  be  train- 
ed to  respond,  109,  289;  registers 
only,  288;  train  not  to  dream,  304; 
when  evolved  into  fit  instrument,  234. 

Bread,   the  mystic,    74. 

Breath,  Great,  of  Brahm,  195,  409; 
how  to  use  the,  349;  man  endowed 
with,  233;  Manus  enter  through  the, 
205;  may  ^  spread  disease,  167;  more 
than  physical  life,  166;  of  the  Spirit 
purifies,  189;  power  of  the,  166. 

Breathing,  effect  of  rhythmic,  350;  ex- 
ercises, how  to  use,  350;  thoughts 
held  while,  351. 

Brimstone,    action    of,    81;    lake    of,    80. 

Brine,   action   of   387. 

Brotherhood,  many  forms,  26;  not  true, 
404;  Universal,  real,  153-4. 

Brothers,  Elder,  evolved  through  lower 
Orders,  52. 

Buddha,  descended  from  a  serpent,  242. 

Bush,  the  burning,   315-6 


Business,  find  your  own,  89;  mind  your 
own,  88;  minding  your,  helps  all, 
96;  must  be  sactioned  by  The  Christ, 
32;  your  Father's,  95;  your  real,  91-4. 

Butchers,  effect  on,  403. 


Cannot,    never    say    I,    328. 

Cares,    business,    31;    household,    33. 

Cataclysms,  a  partial  occurs  at,  41;  at 
end  of  sub-races,  312;  due  to  al- 
chemical changes,  43;  due  to  inhabit- 
ants, 387;  in  the  life,  389;  in  phy- 
sical, mental  and  psychic  realms,  41; 
of  Atlantis,  238;  of  Sixth  and  Seventh 
sub-races,  238;  those  who  survive  the 
coming,  82;  to  adjust  conditions,  42, 
116. 

Celibacy,   results  of,   250. 

Cell,  each  Soul  a,  121;  not  redeemed 
individually,  188. 

Center,  of  Civilization,  each  must  find, 
410;  founded  by  Aveshas,  145;  how 
to  make  yourself  a,  352;  of  Right 
Living,  178;  the  Great,  145,  410;  the 
Heart,  112,  411;  to  be  founded,  239. 

Centers,  Bible  references  to,  110;  laya- 
128,  181;  left  unprotected,  105;  life- 
forces  flow  through,  98;  of  body 
protected,  98;  of  civilization  founded 
by  Aveshas,  145;  of  mind,  167-9;  of 
power,  164;  of  subconscious  mind, 
167;  unfolded  normally,  98. 

Century,  forces  during  the  quarters  of, 
148,  150. 

Changes,   Alchemical,   going  on,   43-4. 

Channel,  every,  used  by  the  Masters, 
53;  seek  your  special,  32. 

Characters,    great   are    always,    275. 

Charity,    is,    298. 

Childhood,   of   the   Race,   68. 

Children,  born  lacking  birthright,  225; 
all  mankind  are,  of,  188;  fill  the 
minds  of,  226. 

Chinese,    belong    to    Fourth    Race,    229. 

Christ,  The,  a  consuming  fire,  154; 
alone  worthy  of  worship,  37;  awakens 
latent  possibilities,  91;  becomes  indi- 
vidualized, 139,  142;  birth  of,  in 
heart,  77;  blood  of,  190;  brings  har- 
mony, 97;  causes  evolution,  214; 
— child  brought  forth,  27;  descends 
into  hell,  83;  focused  in  an  Avatar, 
137;  ^  immersed  in  matter  to,  58; 
life-giving  force,  395;  mansion  pre- 
pared by,  93;  must  spiritualize  body, 
98;  not  an  impersonal  force,  326; 
power  shut  lion's  mouth,  71;  — prin- 
ciple, redeems,  415;  seed,  154;  six 
the  number  of,  60;  Star  is  risen,  154. 

Cinders,   simile   of,    199-201. 

Circle,  meaning  of  the,  365,  414. 

Circulation,    salt   necessary  to,    386. 


Index 


vilization,      of     Atlantis,      236;      Salt 

marks   advances    in,    386;    Souls    wait 

for    certain    stage    of,    159. 

airvoyance,    169. 

ass,    how   to    form   a,   418. 

ay,   effect  of,   317. 

ef,    bass    and    treble,    46,    359. 

imate,    karmic    effect    of,    120. 

oset,   enter   to   pray,    111,    355. 

aal,  formation  of,  205,  fossils  in,  210. 

Kffee,    effect   of,    101. 

Dhabitation,  rule  for,  220;  thoughts 
during,  224. 

bllege    collects    wisdom,     110. 

blor,    effects    of.    196,    361;    place    in 

I  Nature,    358;    the    seven    Rays,     159, 

I  180. 

plors,  seven  born  of  white,  360;  three 
primary,  359. 

omets,    source   and   destiny   of,   42. 

ommandment,  the  Eleventh,  see  Chap- 
ter VI,  definition  of,  88. 

ommands,  arbitrary  never  given  by 
Master,  282. 

ommon-sense,  teachings  must  meet, 
265. 

ommunication,  constructive  and  de- 
structive methods,  107;  laws  ot 
spiritual  same  to-day,  355;  method  of 
true  spiritual,  104;  spiritual  is  in- 
dependent, 105;  spiritual  is  uplift- 
ing, 106-8;  subjective  method,  105; 
true  method  never  depletes,  108. 

ompanipn,  each  will  have  true,  268. 

ompassion,  first  awakened,  73;  key- 
note of  the  Masters,  105. 

ompensation,  the  Law  as,  41,  194,  404. 

ompost   heap,    simile   of,    323. 

bncentration,  definition  of,  347;  hours, 
410.;  on  this  Order,  411. 

ondemn,    nothing    but,    406. 

'onditions,   old   fall   away  when,    117. 

Conscience,  how  to  distinguish,  373; 
Voice  of,  371. 

onsciousness,  A  God-,  325;  animal, 
perfected  in  reason,  182;  Avatar  has 
The  Christ-,  139;  Cosmic,  167,  373; 
human,  perfected  in  intuition,  182; 
new  state  of  in  each  globe,  207; 
seven  states  of,  SO1;  sex  inheres  in 
all  states  of,  160;  stages  in  growth 
of,  208;  The  Christ-,  372-3. 

Contact,  personal,  must  come  into,  22, 
63. 

'ontinents,  rise  from  sea,  388. 

Conventions,  the  world's  are  necessary, 
262;  truth  back  of  all,  262. 

.'onversion,  phenomenon  of,  209;  sud- 
den, 103;  true,  128. 

Correspondence,  Law  of,  357;  personal 
carried  on,  23. 

.  Corinthians,  quoted  74,  94,  102,  215. 

)osmos,  seven -fold  division  illustrated,  50 


Crank,   don't  become   a,   296. 

Create,  power  to,  a  gift  of  the  Elohim, 
225;  to,  a  body,  219,  224. 

Creation,  A  master's  description  of, 
204;  according  to  the  desires,  218; 
first,  the  light,  321;  four  periods  of, 
320;  fourth  the  Path,  323;  methods  of 
perfect,  224;  second,  the  firmament, 
321;  third,  the  dry  land,  322. 

Creations,   of   your  thoughts,   329; 

Creating,   by   emanation,    187. 

Creative- force,  active  on  all  planes,  218; 
becomes  a  curse,  219;  Nature  suf- 
fers from  a  perversion  of,  220;  nega- 
tive aspect  of,  335. 

Crisis,   for   planet   and   individual,   42. 

Criticism,  avoid,  385,  425;  effect  of, 
293,  385;  tendency  to,  382. 

Cronus,  the  Reaper,  332. 

Cross,  of  matter,  diagram  of,  57;  older 
than  Christianity,  57;  symbol  of  the, 
57. 

Crucifixion,   of   personality,   326. 

Crusaders,  the,  76. 

Crust,  of  earth  consolidated  by,  44. 

Cup,  symbol  of  the,  266. 

Curse,  not  a  punishment,  225. 

Cursed,  is  the  ground,   225.     ' 

Cycles,  the  Law  as,  41,  195;  Messianic, 
148;  of  necessity;  everything  a  step, 
35;  of  the  century,  148-9. 

Cyril,   Bishop   of  Alexandria,   27. 


Dare,  Do,  Keep  Silent,  meaning  of, 
416. 

Darkness,  composed  of,  323-4;  created 
by  the  Elohim,  325;  creeping  things 
of  the,  324;  is  pure  spirit,  360;  men 
love,  200;  must  be  faced  alone,  91; 
swallows  failures,  328;  the  Outer, 
323. 

Daniel,   in  lions'  den,   71. 

Day-period  or  Round,  205,  229;  Races 
in  each,  229;  the  third,  181. 

Death,  conditions  after,  156-7;  merely 
changes  in  form,  400;  Valley  of  the 
shadow  of,  87. 

Debts,   karmic,    none   exempted,    40. 

Deceived,   cannot  be  if,   79. 

Deception,  many  avenues  of,  109. 

Deep,  denizens  of  your,  327. 

Degree,  fifteenth  of  the  Masons,  62; 
Fifth,  includes  esoteric  students,  56; 
First,  56;  Fourth  includes  advanced 
students,  56;  Orders  of  the,  56-7, 
when  you  enter  the,  212;  Orders  of 
each,  54;  Second,  56;  Seventh,  em- 
braces the  apes,  54;  Sixth,  embraces 
leaders  and  teachers,  55;  Third,  more 
than  human,  56;  the  Divine,  65. 


Index 


Degrees,  see  Chapter  III;  correspond 
to  musical  scale  and  spectrum,  54; 
humanity  divided  into  seven,  52;  il- 
lustrated by  plant,  51;  seven  orders 
of  each,  52,  54. 

Deification,  of  sex,  man's  mistake,  259, 
262. 

Demon,  of  matter,  262. 

Depression,  complaints  about  the,  316; 
follows  awakening,  86;  must  be  faced 
alone,  91;  reasons  for,  89;  strength- 
ens courage,  92;  to  compensate  for 
exaltation,  195. 

Desert,  how  formed,  388;  of  Sahara, 
389;  symbol  of,  315. 

Desire,  debased  or  uplifted  by  thoughts, 
226;  is  feminine,  254;  sexual,  natural 
expression  of  love,  226;  world  of,  208. 

Desires,  mastered  not  killed,  398. 

Despond,    Slough   of,    87-9. 

Destiny,  of  Soul,  121,  286;  must  be 
worked  out,  269. 

Development,  personal,  a  result,  not  an 
object,  32;  psychic,  as  a  sign  of 
Avatar,  151;  psychic,  should  result 
from,  104;  result  of,  33,  309;  results 
of  "sitting  for,"  104;  spiritual,  noth- 
ing can  stop,  30-1;  Spiritual,  first 
step  awakens,  73;  stage  of,  will  mani- 
fest, 276. 

Devil,  can  tempt  only,  290;  children  of 
the,  80;  composed  of,  79,  381;  en- 
titization  of,  248;  origin  of,  241; 
self-created,  220;  transmuted  by,  249. 

Diagram,  of  cross  in  matter,  57;  of 
Hierarchies,  185;  of  the  Orders,  57. 

Diet,  no  rules  for,  407;  not  important, 
399. 

Disciples,  cannot  decide  readiness  for 
advance,  71;  must  acquire  Wisdom, 
72;  be  proved,  72;  must  be  trained, 
109;  must  face  self,  324;  must  recog- 
nize Teacher,  72;  must  work  out  prob- 
lems, 106;  when  a  fit  instrument,  281. 

Discipline,    of    self    required,    22. 

Discord,    apples    of,    255. 

Discouragement,  Victory  over,  the  great- 
est, 45. 

Discretion,   shall   preserve  thee,   72. 

Discrimination,  first  to  be  developed, 
282;  rules  for,  289. 

Disease,  created  by  man,  219,  260;  rea- 
son for,  48;  transmitted  by  rats,  fleas, 
flies,  etc,  396. 

Disobedience,  not  punished  but  adjusted, 
116. 

Dispensation,   the   New,   200. 

Disturbed,    when,    38. 

Diver,   Simile  of  the,   126. 

Divine,  action  of  in  heart,  73;  merge 
human  into,  381;  union  with  the,  74. 

Divorce,   reasons   for,   223. 


Doctrine,  the  esoteric,  68;  founded  on 
purity,  251;  given  by  Saturn,  241; 
given  only  to  initiated,  69;  in  all 
religions,  68;  preparation  necessary 
for,  71;  reasons  for,  69;  scientist  must 
study,  69;  taught  in  parables,  69; 
widely  recognized,  370. 

Doctrine,  The  Heart-,  synthesis  of  all, 
177. 

Doctrine,  The  Secret,  quoted,  54-5,  68, 
70,  115,  137-8,  156,  169,  171,  180-3-4-5, 
297,  230-1-2-4-5,  242-3,  259,  262,  331- 
3-4,  341,  360,  408,  414. 

Door,    the    open,    112. 

Doors,  how  opened,  100;  opened  by 
sweat  of  brow,  246;  psychic,  98; 
spiritual  movements  are,  112. 

Dot,  in  circle,  332. 

Doubt,  natural  period  of,  86;  result 
of  thought-currents,  92. 

Dough,  simile  of  the,  41. 

Dragon,   sacred,   242. 

Dreams,  fearlessly  interpret,  303;  rea- 
sons for  same,  168;  three  kinds  of, 
303. 

Drunkard,  cannot  enter  Heaven,  102; 
duty  to,  101;  Masters  cannot  con- 
tact, 102;  must  rebuild  centers,  102; 
obsessed,  103;  suddenly  stop  drink- 
ing, 103. 

Duodecimal  system,  88. 

Duties,  Life's,  see  Chapter  I;  always 
has  strength  for  real,  34;  another's, 
do  not  do,  33;  attitude  toward,  31,  36; 
cannot  leave  undone,  30;  classes  of, 
29;  do  your  full,  134;  household, 
preventing  study,  31;  imaginary,  30; 
nearest  the  highest,  33;  never  leave 
a  plain  undone,  281;  performed 
through  compulsion,  31;  personal  de- 
velopment not  the  first,  32;  real  29; 
reason  for,  30;  results  of  Karma,  30; 
stepping-stones,  make  them,  33. 

Duty,  a  student's  first,  38-2;  do  your 
cheerfully,  384;  example  of  salt,  392; 
in  Grand  Plan,  124;  one  real,  32^10 
your  teacher,  385;  toward  organiza- 
tions, 32. 

Dweller  on  the  Threshold,  each  must 
meet,  64;  in  Zanoni,  100. 

Dynasties,  the  Divine  of  early  Races, 
70. 


Earth,  the,  becomes  a  sun,  44;  becomes 
a  pole-star,  46;  becomes  diseased,  387; 
-chain  of  globes,  207;  created  by  the 
Elohim,  179;  culminating  point,  46, 
331;  eighth  note,  46;  our  Mother,  310; 
prepared  by  serpent-power,  243. 

East,   Aquarius,   the  Man  from  the,   3! 

Eating,  thought-force  important  in,  399; 
worshiped,  400. 


Index 


cclesiastes,  quoted,  29. 
den,    Garden    of,    173;    path    back    to, 
336;  symbolizes,  244-6. 
gg,    all    life    from   an,    128,   231;    man- 
kind  born   from  an,   231;   the   World- 
128;   world  hatched  from  an,  243. 
go,   Suum,   72. 

gypt,   followers  led  out  of,   337;   Lord 
crucified    in,    78;    symbol    of,    78. 
ight,    meaning   of   number,    368;    num- 
ber   of    evolution,    359,    368;    symbol 
1  of    evolution,    58;    symbol    of    Order 

of     36,    58. 
Eighth   sphere,   is  hell,   79. 

filohim,    created    the    earth,    180;    guide 

!   evolution,   206,   331;   preside  over  the 

!    Rays,    180;    Satan    one    of    the,    247, 

[333;    Saturn    one    of   the,    241. 

Emanation,    of   the   Masters,    188;    Real 

I    Self    an,    129. 

Emanations,    responsible    for,    304. 

Emotions,   effect   of,    168;    purified,   391. 

Enemy,    your   great,   91. 

Enthusiasm,   must  die,    127. 

Entities,  Astral:   are  discarnate  mortals, 

;  104-6;  enter  through  ambition,  264; 
how  to  judge  advice  of,  107;  mis- 

|  leading,  258,  354;  must  steal  atoms, 
105-7;  not  spiritual,  106;  pervert  sex 
forces,  265;  reach  student  earlier, 
290;  training  to  control,  99;  use 

!    flattery,    290. 

Entities,  obsessing  are,  104;  obsessing 
sap  vitality,  106;  obsessing  use  mag- 
netism, 309;  soulless,  99. 

Entity,   earth   a  living,    387. 

Environment,  can  foster  spiritual 
growth,  380;  can  transmute  your, 
328;  chosen  by  the  Soul,  34,  117,  157, 
284;  not  insurmountable,  276,  314, 
328;  preventing  study,  the  remedy, 
29,  31;  trials  characteristic  of,  314. 

Ephesians,   quoted,    330. 

Epicurus,  quoted,   375. 

Epilepsy,  brought  on  by,  265. 

Errors,  how  to  determine  psychic,  276-7. 

Esoteric,  hidden,  see  doctrine,  also 
teachings. 

Essences,    life-     arise,    387. 

Essences,  383. 

Ethyl,  a  destructive  element,  100; 
narcotics  contain,  100. 

Evil,  a  negative  aspect  of,  199,  200-2; 
how  to  transmute,  248-9;  man  can 
produce,  381;  reason  for,  172;  the 
result  of  man,  219. 

Evolution,  see  Chapter  XIII;  begin- 
ning of,  192;  begins  from  above,  179; 
begun  by  the  light,  192-3;  compre- 
hension of  all  stages,  325;  connected 
with  Karma  and  Rebirth,  179;  Dar- 
winian theory  of,  179,  228,  232;  dual 
begins,  233;  force  back  of,  393; 


Evolution,  etc. — Continued. 

guided  by  Rishis,  206;  Man  has  ma- 
terial and  spiritual,  229;  man  stops 
his,  405;  Masters  affinitized  to  every 
stage  of,  53;  9  is  number  of,  359; 
object  of,  34,  212,  401;  of  animals 
advanced,  402;  of  body,  mind,  Soul, 
183;  of  physical  man,  184,  232;  of 
Soul,  illustrated  in  Bible,  75;  perfect, 
must  be,  183;  retarded  by  mental 
attitude,  36;  scheme  of,  257,  401; 
spiritual  repeats  stages  of  physical, 
210;  The  Christ-force  causes,  214, 
229;  three  streams  of,  182,  274; 
through  all  kingdoms,  229;  thumb 
marks  stage  of,  367;  truly  human 
begins,  232. 

Evolution,  spiritual,  from  above,  re- 
sult of,  229;  human  stage,  212;  vege- 
tative and  animal  stages  of,  211. 

Examples,     prominent     characters     are, 

Exercises,   breathing,    350-2. 

Existence,    aim    of    physical,    94. 

Exodus,    quoted,    110,    315,    331. 

Experiences,  all  in  the  One  Life,  285; 
learn  through  others,'  287;  Soul 
learns  by,  288. 

Eye,  An,  how  developed,  194;  mean- 
ing of  Open,  414;  opening  of  the, 
244,  316;  the  Third,  atrophy  of,  156. 

Ezekiel,  four  animals  of,  39;  quoted, 
115. 


F  natural,   363. 

Faculties,  disorders  of  psychic,  260; 
many  unfolding  higher,  109;  practices 
to  unfold  dangerous,  346;  psychic 
must  unfold  normally,  25;  spiritual 
deadened,  246. 

Faith,    in    self    necessary,    128. 

Fall,  of  man,  182;  a  descent  into  mat- 
ter, 248;  an  opportunity,  257. 

Famine,  not  of  bread,   151. 

Farming,    dry,    318. 

Fasting,    forty    days,    291. 

Father-in-heaven,  knows  your  needs, 
125;  overshadows  personality,  74,  182; 
works  of,  doing  the,  73,  380. 

Fathers,  Lunar,  evolve  human  forms, 
181;  progenitors  of  humanity,  187; 
relation  of,  184;  work  of,  180-4. 

Fathers,  Solar,  progenitors  of  humanity, 
187;  relation  of,  184;  work  of,  182-4. 

Faults,    how    to    conquer,    93. 

Faustus,     Dr.,    story    of,    290. 

Fear,  have  no,  354;  kills  the  will,  173; 
love  casts  out,  177;  must  be  con- 
quered, 172,  299;  role  of,  173;  the 
servant  of  God,  173. 

Fearlessness,   must  be  absolute,   70. 


Index 


Feet,  put  shoes  off,  315;  symbology  of, 
316. 

Field,    as   symbol    of    environment,    120. 

Fiend,    man   has   created   a,    262. 

Fifteen,  meaning  of,  415;  see  Order  of 
the. 

Fire,  a  gift  of  the  Gods,  233;  destroys 
forms,  81;  highest  element,  81;  of 
Divine  Love  on  stone,  340;  of  the 
Lord,  264,  333;  the  creative,  248, 
250. 

Fires,  earthly,  264;  of  Karma,  81;  the 
49,  165. 

Firmament,  creation  of  the,  322;  forces 
from  distant,  43. 

Fission,    humanity    reproduced    by,    231. 

Five,  meaning  of  number,  366;  number 
of  humanity,  61;  symbol  of  Order 
of  15,  61. 

Flats,   effect  of,   359. 

Flattery,  psychics  who  use,  282;  a 
method  used  by  astral  teachers,  290. 

Flaws,    tendency    to    pick,     92. 

Flocks,   kept  by   Moses,   315. 

Flood,    the    great,    236,    246. 

Fohat,  seven  sons  of,    197. 

Food,  found  in  environment,  401;  how 
planets  assimilate  seven  kinds,  51; 
spiritual  growth  not  due  to,  397; 
worshiped,  400. 

Foot,  symbology  of,  308. 

Force,  at  sea  coast,  313;  breathed  in, 
not  your  personal,  351;  creative, 
workings  of  the,  410;  of  sun  is  rea- 
son, 310;  the  Father-,  312-3;  the 
Mother-,  310. 

Forces,  earth's-at  noon,  319;  earth's 
finer,  see  Chapter  XXIII;  earth's- 
vary  with  locality,  312;  executors  of 
harmony,  115;  of  Karma  not  blind, 
115;  of  sex  must  be  balanced,  335; 
earth's-  use  of,  311. 

Foreheads,   name   in,   48,   240. 

Form,   created  by,   358. 

Forms,  geometrical  of  crystal,  daisy, 
man,  51;  of  nature,  357. 

Formulas,    occult,    effect    of,    383. 

Foundation,    must   create    your,    322. 

Four,  contains  ten,  301;  meaning  of 
number,  366. 

Freedom,  political  for  woman,  338;  so- 
called  sex,  265. 

Free-will,  man  alone  has,  170,  285-7; 
man  begins  to  use,  235;  man's  great 
gift,  214;  man's  is  limited,  122;  Soul 
has,  122. 

Fruit,  love  not  a  clandestine,  395;  of 
the  Spirit,  293;  of  the  tree,  244; 
sun  imprisoned  in,  371-2;  the  first, 
150;  the  forbidden,  257. 

Fulfillment,  cycle  of,  see  Chapter  II; 
for  individual,  Race,  planet,  40,  47; 
for  movements,  49;  forces  released 


Fulfillment,  etc. — Continued. 

during,  40;  great  cycle  of  lasts,  39; 
influence  on  man  and  nations,  47; 
influence  on  occultists,  48;  lower 
phases  reaped  first,  40;  meaning  of, 
39;  1912  marks  beginning  of,  39,  46. 

Function,  marks  structure,  244;  not 
killed  out,  252;  sex-  not  impure,  250; 
sex-  perverted,  250. 

Functions,  all  must  be  developed,  103; 
all  natural  are  pure,  216;  controlled 
by  subconscious,  167;  must  master 
all,  251;  perverted  by  thought,  216, 
250;  vegetative,  90. 

Furnace,    fiery,    Lord   walks   in   the,    82. 


Galatians,   quoted,    114. 

Garment,    personality   but    a,    126. 

Gases,    gathering     for     explosions,     82; 

spirits  of  the,  204. 
Gate,    ere    you    enter   the    Fourth,    135; 

problem    of    Fourth,    304;    the    First, 

297;    the   Fourth,    301-7;    the    Second, 

298;  the  Third,  300;  the  straight,  111. 
Gates,   lift   up   your,    111;    of   the   Path, 

296;    of   zodiac    and    body,    414;    wis- 
dom  crieth   at,    111. 
Generation,  law   of,   259;   path   of,   263; 

Purity  on  plane  of,   344. 
Generosity,   when   learned,    118. 
Genesis,  quoted,   121,    182-8,   204-5,   225- 

8;   232-3,  241,  261,  320,  333. 
Genius,  man's  evil,  290-1. 
Geometry,    all    growth    along    lines    of, 

52;  of  Nature,  50,  357;  21  the  Order 

of,    61. 
Ghost,    the    Holy;     Isis    or,    415;     sin 

against,   99;   will   teach  you,    144. 
Giants,    in   those   days,    232-5. 
Globe,    the    winged,     128. 
Globes,   all   visible  are   the   fourth,   207; 

chains  of  seven,   207;    earth-chain   of, 

207;   lunar   chain   of,    190;   man   must 

function   on   seven,    209. 
Globular,    humanity   was,   205. 
Gnosis,    Pythagoras'    definition    of,    66. 
God.  Higher  Self  the  personal,  74,   121, 

375;     is     Love,     374;     recognizing    on 

earth,   74;   the  Sons  of,  67,  233,  262; 

whole  armor  of,   330. 
Gods,   as,   knowing   good  and   evil,   246; 

presence   of    on    earth,    74,    184,    241. 
Gold,    color    orange,    planet    sun,    362; 

use  of  in  occultism,  363. 
Goods,    portion    of,    287;    your    worldly, 

328. 

Grail,    the   Holy,    15   the    Order    of,    63. 
Gratitude,    failure   to    receive,    119. 
Grave,  must  lie  in  the,  323. 
Great   Deep,    Spirits   hover   over,   204. 
Great   Ones,  spirits  of  descend,  204. 


Index 


Green,  corresponding  metal  is  lead,  364; 

office  of,   363;   planet  is   Saturn,   363; 

why  Nature  is,   363. 
Grieve,    no    time    to,    134. 
Group-  Soul,  governs  animals,   170.   182, 

215. 
Growth,  all  along  geometrical  lines,   52; 

'how    to    hasten,    346;    most    favorable 

climate    for,    313;    not    hot-house,    99; 

spiritual     must     follow     plant,      379; 

spiritual    not    a    matter    of    food,    397. 
Guidance,    each    Soul    has    Divine,    221; 

personal,  of  Higher  Self,  353;  taught 

in    Bible,    355. 
Guides,  an  infallible,  how  to  distinguish, 

373. 
Guides,  misleading  astral,   258;  also  see 

Entities. 
Gynt,    Peer,    meaning    of,    260. 

H 

Habits,  how  to  change,  93,  218;  must 
be  mastered,  101;  the  result  of,  168. 

Hag,    the    old,    261. 

Hair,  color  and  texture  determines,  356. 

Halo,  around  sun,    186. 

Hamlet,  a  part  assumed,  156;  was  mis- 
taken, 95. 

Harmony,  hos  to  spread,  97;  the  Second 
Gate,  29. 

Hatred,   effect   of,    344. 

Healing,    rationale   of   all,    344. 

Health,  of  psychics,  108;  worshiped, 
163. 

Heart  Center,  door  of,  112;  dwell  at 
the,  202. 

Heaven,  not  a  post-mortem  state,  93; 
seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of,  200. 

Hell-fire,  see  Chapter  V;  a  bogie  out- 
grown, 78;  all  must  pass  through, 
81-2-3;  Christ  descends  into,  83;  com- 
posed of,  82;  consumes  only  the  false, 
84;  endures  as  long  as,  84;  gates  of 
79;  has  three  meanings,  79;  not 
literal,  81;  on  four  lower  planes,  83; 
permit  loved  ones  to  stand  in,  82; 
is  separation  from  God,  82;  should 
be  a  comfort,  84. 

Help,    when    you    desire,    344. 

Hercules,    labors    of,    395. 

Hermes,    Book    of,    quoted,    332;    lamp 

of,    368. 
Hierarchies,  seven  great,   179,   186;  each 

manifest,   186;   diagram  of  the,   185. 
Hierophant,  policy  of  every,   70. 
Hindus,  curelty  of,   396. 
Holy  City,  pinnacle  of,  292. 
Holy    Ghost,    see    Ghost. 
Holy  of  Holies,  once  having  found,  37; 

set  up  stones,  in,  336. 
Horse,    training    of,    illustrates    Karma, 
124. 


H.    P.    B.,   explanation   of   life   of,    163. 

Humanity,  childhood  of,  66-7,  188; 
greatest  test  of,  245;  highest  Order 
of,  187;  is  progenitor  of  future,  187. 

Humility,    exalting    your,     132. 

Hymn,    of   the   Order   quoted,    308. 

I 

I   Am,    126-7,   354. 

I  and  i,  golden,  129;  illiterate  use  of, 
130-1;  individuality  the,  406;  symbol 
of,  127. 

Ideal,   of  this   Order,   22. 
Ideas,  woman  must  lift  up  world's,  255. 
Illumination,   see  Chapter   XXX;   claim- 
ing,  133;   given   for,   327;   if  you  still 
lack,    383;    is    blossom    of    Soul,    382; 
is   the,    379;    the   result   of,    316,    380. 
Image,    of    the    heavenly,    74;    of    God, 

164. 

Images,   thought   creates,    170. 
Imagination,    170. 
Imbeciles,  reason  for,   104. 
Impatience,    controlling,     118. 
Incarnation,    Advanced    Souls    attracted 
to,    224;    after    myriads    of,    287;    an 
Avatar    a    Divine,    138;    claiming   this 
is   last,    158;    in   alternate   sexes,    159; 
more     Souls     out     of    than     in,     159; 
number    of,    122;    often    accomplishes 
little,     122,    272;    Soul    chooses,     117, 
157;    Souls   wait   for   certain   time   of, 
159;  time  between,  159. 
Individuality,  definition  of,   127;  incarn- 
ates,  156;  is  never  lost,  285. 
Indweller,   the   Divine,    183. 
Inequalities,    secret    of,    234. 
Influence,    of   earth,    45;    of    Stars,    45; 
of  Uranus,   40;    of  zodiac  on  subcon- 
scious mind,  90;  planetary,  not  malign, 
43;     responsible    for    disturbing,     35; 
responsible  for  your,   303-4. 
Information  about  the  Order,  423. 
Ingratitude,   suffering   from,    119. 
Iniquity,    "depart   ye   workers   of,"    112. 
Initiates,   Adepts,   Mahatmas,    52;   called 

serpents,   242;   Jesus  a   great,   78. 

Initiation,     humanity     facing     its,     336; 

Job   a    history    of    an,    111,    241;    life 

brings  about,   63;    9   number   of,   359; 

none    can    tell    when    ready    for,    71; 

of    the     Race    and    planet,     246;     on 

higher     planes     first,      63;      star     of, 

320-1-5;    way    always    opens    for,    70. 

Initiator,    Saturn   the   Great,    45,    242-7, 

333. 

Injustice,   social,    120;   by  Masters,    120. 
Innocence,    of    ignorance;    of    Wisdom, 

68. 

Insanity,   brought   on   by,    265. 
Instinct,    definition    of,    182. 
Instruction,  necessary  for  personal,  429; 


Index 


Instructors,  Divine,  the  first,  70;  watch 
life  after  life,  71;  withdrew,  235. 

Instrument,  Soul  uses,  287;  when  pupil 
is  trained,  281. 

Intellect,  perverts  love,  216;  power  of, 
165,  training  of  necessary,  280,  384; 
two  uses  of,  381. 

Intercourse,    no    promiscuous,    258. 

Interpretation,    rules    for,    289. 

Interruptions,   how  to  make  use  of,   31. 

Intuition,  a  feminine  faculty,  339;  listen 
to  voice  of,  266;  must  confirm  all 
teachings,  258;  must  illumine  mind, 
183;  perfection  of  consciousness,  182; 
Voice  of  God,  182. 

Inventions,  due   to,    387. 

Involution,  207,  234. 

lion,  corresponds  to  red;  a  metal  of 
Mars,  360. 

Isaiah,   quoted,    111,   311,   326,   333. 

Isis,  seven  veils  of,  253;  teachings  of, 
59;  the  Mother-principle,  Virgin 
Mary,  27,  415;  Temples  of,  254. 

Isis  Unveiled,  quoted  41,  228,  242-8. 

Israel,   twelve   tribes   of,    54. 


Jerusalem,    the    New,    84. 

Jesus,  the  Master:  an  Avatar,  77;  de- 
scended from  a  serpent,  242;  head  of 
Healing  Hierarchy,  341;  is  historical, 
77;  left  no  writings,  384;  mysteries 
of,  secret,  76;  personal  history  unim- 
portant, 77;  required  training,  280; 
Ruler  of  the  Order  of  the  1,  58; 
use  of  the  name,  341;  we  do  not 
pray  to,  341;  wept,  390. 

Jewel,  of  Great  Price,  329. 

Job,  an  initiation,  111,  241;  quoted, 
111,  241,  333. 

Johannites,    the,    75. 

Join,   how   to,   the   Order,   432. 

Jordan,  baptism  in,  138. 

Jot,   not   one  shall  pass,    123. 

Joys,  many  on  the  Path,  307;  watch 
out  for  the,  36. 

Jubilee,   year   of,   40. 

Jupiter,   color   blue;    metals   of,    362. 

Justice,  includes  love,   198. 


Kala-hamsa,  black  swan,   128. 

Kama,  animal-soul,  398. 

Karma,  Law  of:  see  Chapter  VIII:  ad- 
justs effects,  116;  affords  opportuni- 
ties, 195;  all  is  not,  124;  Avatar  has 
no,  137;  cause  and  effect,  115;  danger 
of  invoking,  117;  develops  Soul- 
qualities,  83,  115-6;  duties  the  result 
of,  30;  hell-fire  is,  80-1;  illustrated 
by  automobile,  119;  bough  and  wave, 
114;  circulation,  122;  falling  leaves, 


Karma,  etc. — Continued. 

119;  horse,  124;  seed,  124;  imp«r- 
sonal  law,  114;  Law  as,  194;  Lords 
of,  115;  Masters  subject  to,  120; 
minor,  269;  not  a  punishment, 
34,  83,  115-6,  194;  of  family, 
Race  and  world,  119,  181,  220;  per- 
mit loved  ones  to  bear  their,  82;  per- 
sonal began,  121;  precipitating,  325; 
predestines  nothing,  114;  Saturn,  God 
of,  332;  seeds  of  World  sown,  236; 
some  is  held  back,  181;  works  to- 
ward harmony,  116. 

Key,   to   all   mysteries,    410. 

Key-note,  of  Masters,  105;  of  person- 
ality, 358;  of  universe,  404;  of  wind 
storm,  42;  planet  must  respond  to 
new,  42;  sounding  a  new,  89. 

Kill,  Thou  Shalt  Not,  see  Chapter 
XXXII;  to,  means,  406. 

Killed,  mineral,  vegetable,  animal,  man 
is,  400. 

Killing,  for  food,  397;  for  sport  or 
vanity,  404;  insects,  396,  403;  meaning 
of,  394;  mental,  394;  thought  when, 
403;  true,  405. 

Kingdom,   door   closed  to   human,   55. 

Kingdoms,    the   seven,    50. 

Kneipp,     treatment,     310. 

Krishna,   an   Avatar;    quoted,    140. 

Knudalini,  danger  of  forcing,  172,  315; 
in  spine,  173,  315-6;  power  of,  165, 
171;  serpent-force,  244. 


Lake,   of   fire  and  brimstone,   80-1. 

Lamb,    blood    of    the,    110,    190. 

Law,  The,  see  Chapter  XIV;  claiming 
to  be  above,  258;  guided  by  Deities, 
331;  how  to  become  one  with,  202; 
is  but  one,  192,  317;  Jesus  came  to 
fulfill,  198;  lift  banner  of,  337;  love 
fulfills,  201;  man  has  broken,  196; 
nothing  gained  by  breaking,  220;  of 
Divine  Love,  works  ever  upward, 
331;  of  memory,  274;  races  follow 
cyclic,  230;  seven-fold  in  manifesta- 
tion of,  41,  193;  understanding  of, 
necessary,  87;  will  bring  your  mate, 
221. 

Law-giver,    Saturn-  Moses,   333-4. 

Laws,    man-made    are,    221. 

Lead,  metal  of  Saturn;  color  green, 
364. 

Learning,  Hall  of,  281. 

Lesson,   learning  the,    118. 

Lessons,    Soul    chooses,    116. 

Letters  from  The  Teacher,  quoted,  104, 
286. 

Levi,  a  serpent  tribe,  242;  Eliphas, 
quoted,  260-1,  369. 

Lie,    the    great,    80:    includes,    81. 

Lies,   the   father   of,   80. 


Index 


Life,  a  day  in  school,  134;  after  death, 
156-7;  all  is  vibration,  192;  Book 
of,  203;  care-free,  211;  every  seventh, 
269;  man's  right  to  destroy;  396; 
Psalm  of  359;  spiritual,  not  easy, 
328-  stage  of  animal,  211;  Tree  of 
315. 

Life,  the  One;  all  life  from  the,  225; 
All  Souls  expressions  of,  285;  evolves 
through  forms,  393;  expressions  only 
changed,  401;  higher  expressions  of, 
400;  must  not  be  shut  off,  394;  on 
higher  planes,  343;  recognition  of, 
409. 

Light,  see  Chapter  XXIV;  began  evolu- 
tion, 192-3;  effect  of,  324-5;  gaseous, 
204;  is  love,  201;  is  matter,  360;  let 
there  be,  323;  only  begotten  Son, 
192-3;  shines  in  darkness,  321. 

Light   of  Asia,    quoted,    393-4. 

Light  on  the  Path,  quoted,  91,  192, 
346,  383,  390,  405-6. 

Lillith,    symbol    of,    261. 

Lincoln,   Abraham,   273-5. 

Lives,  many  spent  sowing  seeds,  372. 

Locality,    each    has    special    force,    312. 

Lodge,  the  Great  White;  call  White 
because,  187;  composed  of,  53,  187; 
back  of  movements  and  evolution,  53; 
degrees  and  orders  of,  53,  187;  is 
never  arbitrary,  282;  utilize  every 
avenue,  53. 

Love,  an  expression  of  the  Divine, 
216,  266-7;  Divine  is  positive  pole, 
196;  Divine  overlaps  human,  267; 
highest  expression  through  sex,  218; 
human  is  lower  pole,  196;  ideal  of, 
267;  is  God,  73,  374;  learn  to,  385; 
must  turn  to  Divine,  201;  Negative 
polarization  of,  199;  not  limited,  73; 
only  endures,  198;  positive  aspect 
must  manifest,  200;  reaches  highest 
and  lowest,  197;  sex  an  effort  to 
express,  226;  stream  of  Divine,  202-3; 
synthesises  all,  198;  temptations  come 
through,  197-9,  202;  true  conception 
of,  410. 

Lucifer,  247,  332-3. 

Lunar,    see    Fathers. 

Lungs,    of    the    earth,    312. 


M 


Magic,    black,    237,    246;    is    dual,    378; 

white  and  black,   379. 
Magicians,    black,    237. 
Magnet,   simile  of,   161,    196. 
Magnetism,  earth  gives  out,  309;  enters 

through  feet,  308. 
Malachi,    quoted,    353. 


Man,     acquires     speech,     235;     became 
warm-blooded,       232;       became      self- 
conscious,    235;    beguiled    by    woman, 
255;    blood    of    Heavenly,     122;    con- 
tains   all     kingdoms,     400;     endowed 
with    mind,    182;    evolution    of    Real, 
184;    fall    of,    182,    248,    257;    field   01 
activity  of,  339;  first  of  earth,  second 
from    heaven,    74;    forms    five-pointed 
star,    366;     governed     by     Father-m- 
Heaven,     182;     Heavenly,     121,     136; 
highest  point  in  Atlanteans,  236;   im- 
presses lower  kingdoms,  405;  must  re- 
deem, 405;   organs  of  Heavenly,   124; 
Origin    of,    see    Chapter    XVII;    posi- 
tive  pole,    254,    339;    powers   of,    165; 
responsible  for,  405;  sign  of  the  Son 
of,  39,  46,   150;   Souls  part  Heavenly, 
161;   universally  structured  type,  366. 
Mana,   of  Children  of  Israel,  34. 
Manas,  higher  and  lower,  169,  363-4. 
Manifest,    gaining   power   to,    118. 
Mankind,   seven  classes  of,   52. 
Mansions,   in  heaven,   93. 
Mantra,    power    of,    409. 
Marriage,    a     sacrament,     220-1-4,     253; 
266;  holiest  relation,  222;  man  forced 
into,   255;   mistaken   avoided,   266;   ot 
the     Soul,     266;     priests    'should     de- 
termine,    141;    substitutes,    effect    of, 
250;    vows  and   ceremonies,   223;   will 
have  true,  268. 

Mars  is  red;  its  metal  iron,  360. 
Master,  direct  instructions  from  a,  317; 
is     one     who,    286;    path     leading     to 
the,   353. 

Masters,  the,  of  Wisdom  and  Compas- 
sion, cannot  contact  drunkards,  102; 
cannot  interfere,  279;  following  in 
steps  of,  307;  how  to  come  close  to, 
72,  105;  key-note  of,  105;  never  use 
flattery,  290;  not  all  vegetarians, 
399;  presence  on  earth,  184;  reason 
postulates,  228;  relation  to  humanity, 
see  Chapter  XIII;  subject  to  Karma, 
120;  working  in  all  movements,  142, 
187. 

Mastery,    attained    by,    129,    286,    399; 
diet     unimportant     in,     399;     of     self 
the  object,     22,  296;  Path  to,  372. 
Matter,   geometrical   forms  of,   51;   Soul 

must   redeem,    74. 
Masons,    15    among  the,   62. 
Meat,   Masters  who  eat,  399;   objections 

to  eating,   398,  403. 
Meditate,   how  to,   248,    353;    daily,    31, 

384. 

Meditation,    definition    of,    347;    how   to 

find  time  for,  31;  select  topic  for,  31. 

Mediums,    are    depleted,    108;    cause    of 

one  class,  103;  irresponsible  type,  103. 
Mediumship,    how    to    judge,     108;    re- 
sults of,   108;   subjective,   104. 


Index 


Race,  the  Fourth  Root,  lowest  or  turn- 
ing point,  235;  majority  belong  to 
the,  229;  received  mind,  182;  speech 
acquired,  arts  taught  to,  235;  taught 
face  to  face,  188. 

Race,  the  Fifth  Root,  the  Aryan,  238; 
the  Sixth,  characteristic  of,  239; 
sixth  sub,  just  entering,  238;  this 
Order  a  preparation  for,  416-7; 
Seventh,  Golden  Age,  239. 

Races,  gradually  evolve,  230;  pre- 
Adamite,  261;  rise  and  fall  of,  230; 
seven  Great,  229;  the  mindless,  261; 
the  yellow,  229,  238. 

Rainbow,    186. 

Rats,   transmit   plague,    396. 

Ray,    personality    a,    131. 

Ray,  the  Red,  a  creative,  179;  Hier- 
archy of  the  Red,  360;  Progenitor  of, 
187. 

Rays,  seven  Great,  composed  of,  180-4; 
diagram  of,  185. 

Reason,  is  masculine  faculty,  339;  per- 
fection of  instinct,  182. 

Records,  Akashic,  174,  369;  contain 
every  thought,  388;  phonographic, 
174. 

Red,  aspects  of  are,  361;  effect  of, 
196;  foods  and  flowers,  effect  of, 
361;  meaning  of,  189;  metal  is  iron, 
361;  most  physical,  masculine,  360; 
planet  is  Mars,  361. 

Redeem,  as  strength  permits,  181;  man 
must,  94. 

Redeemed,  world  not  by  one  man,   326. 

Redeemer,  man  becomes  a,  212,  213; 
candidate  must  be  a,  325. 

Redemption,  meaning  of,  98,  410; 
method  of  188;  of  matter,  157. 

Regeneration,  of  world,  177;  serpent 
symbol  of,  242. 

Reincarnation,  see  Chapter  XI;  among 
old  associates,  158;  object  of,  278; 
of  thoughts,  387;  proof  of,  155;  rea- 
sons for,  157. 

Religion,  the  Wisdom,  see  Chapter  IV. 
All  others  derived  from,  66;  Avatar 
teaches,  147;  brought  to  Western 
world,  163;  deals  with  Christ-force, 
378;  existed  in  Atlantis,  67;  Jesus 
taught,  67;  Pythagoras'  definition  of, 
66;  teaches  union  with  the  Divine,  74. 

Renunciation,  Path  of,  296;  of  action, 
30. 

Reproduction,   methods  of,   231-2. 

Reptiles,   appearance  of  the,   206. 

Rest,   this   Order   a   house   of,   428. 

Resurrection,  meaning  of,  323;  morn 
dawns,  when,  84. 

Revelation,  an  allegory,  147,  190,  332; 
quoted,  85,  112,  137,  147,  256,  266. 

Rib,   symbol   of   Adam's,   232,   242. 


Righteousness,    must    become    Sons    of, 

49. 

Ring,   pass   not,    414. 
Rishis,    guide    evolution,    206,    331;    the 

seven,    180. 

River,   streamlets   of   force   from   a,    32. 
Rivers,    Alpheus    and   Peneus,    395. 
Romans,  quoted,    192,   407. 
Rose,  born  of  suffering,  389;  on  desert, 

390. 
Round,  First,  minerals  dominate,  205-9; 

Second,    vegetable   dominates,    205-10; 

humanity     is     globular,     205;     Third, 

reptiles    dominate,    206,    210;    Fourth, 

close   of   the,    239;    generation   begins, 

206;  man  dominates,  210. 
Rounds,  seven  required,  207. 
Rules,  for  the  higher  life,  384-5. 


Sacrament,   definition,   225;   marriage   a, 

220-1-4,      253,      266;       should      carry 

potency,    141. 
Sacrifice,     of     lower     forms    to    higher, 

401;    stone    of,    60. 
St.    John,    quoted,    93,     112,     126,     146, 

191-4,    370,    400;    vision    of,    190. 
St.  Luke,  quoted,  73,  86,   111,  122,  220. 
St.  Mark,   quoted,    152. 
St.    Matthew,    quoted,      77,      111,      123, 

150-5,    164,    197,    323,    346,    356,    378, 

383-6. 
Salt,  Symbol  of  the,  see  Chapter  XXXI; 

action  of,  81;  ceremonies  with,  390-1; 

excess    injurious,     388;     Great    Lake, 

389;    necessary    to    life;    386;    role   of 

386;    symbology,    391;    where    found, 

387;  ye  are  the,   392. 
Sanctuary,   door   closed,   263. 
Satan,     as     Saturn,     248;     Hermes     on, 

332,   One  of  the  Elohim,   333. 
Saturn,    the    Initiator,    as    Lucifer    and 

Cronus,    332;    as    Satan,    247;     color 

is  green,  metal  lead,   364;   domain  of, 

45;   force  of  is  inertia,   stability,   332; 

initiated   humanity,    333;    tempts   Eve, 

247;    tests    Job,    241. 
Saviors,   the  49  crucified,    165. 
Scale,   correspondences   in   musical,    359. 
Sciences,   taught   Fourth   Race,  235. 
Scorpions,    power   to   tread   on,    220. 
Sea,   wonder    from,   to,    151. 
Seal,  of  the  Order,  413-6. 
Seed,    contains   tree,    124. 
Self,  The,  see  Chapter  IX;  Ego  creates 

lower,    64;    lower    is    roused,    89,    90; 

must    face    your,    64,    21,    324,    385; 

must    have    faith    in,    128;    must    not 

despise,    126;   protects   the   Real,    126; 

study  your,   132;  trouble  comes  from, 

130;    you    have    built    up,    64. 
Self,    The    Higher,    see    Real    Self. 


Index 


Self,  The  Real,  expression  of  the 
Divine,  129,  136;  fix  your  gaze  upon, 
134;  is  Divine,  342,  371;  like  thread 
of  fire,  134;  needs  personality,  126; 
not  affected  by  changes,  127;  over- 
shadows personality,  371. 

Selfishness,    132. 

Selfrighteousness,  second  temptation, 
292,  383. 

Sense,   no   sixth   developed,   416. 

Serpent,  Symbol  of  the,  see  Chapter 
XVIII;  astral  light  the,  242;  Brazen, 
243;  esoteric  wisdom,  241;  force, 
244;  Jesus  born  of  a,  242;  Moses, 
Jesus,  Buddha  called,  242;  Moses 
lifted  up  the,  243 ;  recognized  by 
Jesus,  241;  symbol  of  sex,  242;  temp- 
tation by  the,  247;  trail  of  the,  324, 
under  every  flower,  281;  -worship, 
249. 

Seven,  Symbol  of  Order  of  the,  28, 
59;  a  feminine  number,  59;  mean- 
ing of  number,  368. 

Sex,  A  stumbling  block,  252-6  begin- 
ning of  perversion,  262;  body  same 
as  Soul,  exceptions,  160-1;  change  of, 
reasons  for,  161-2;  deification  of, 
262;  does  not  change,  160;  final  dis- 
use of,  253;  -force,  a  test,  245; 
-forces  always  creative,  218,  259; 
-forces  must  be  balanced,  335;  -force, 
not  impure,  250,  262;  -force  when 
confined  to  physical  plane,  216;  in- 
heres in  the  Soul,  160;  killing  out, 
252;  no  freedom  permitted,  265;  nor- 
mal use,  252;  perverted  creates  dis- 
ease, 219;  -question  most  important, 
257;  reform  of,  262;  serpent  symbol 
of,  242;  teachings  sacred,  249;  teach- 
ings veiled,  160,  249;  the  problem 
of  humanity,  45;  -thought,  vortices 
of,  258;  when  regraded  creates,  259. 

Sexes,  manifesting  both,  162;  segre- 
gated, effect  of,  336;  separation  com- 
pleted in  Fourth  Race,  244;  separa- 
tion of  the,  160. 

Shade,  that  lethal,  87. 

Shadow  Land,  quoted,   104. 

Sharps,    effect   of,    359. 

Sheaths,    oily,    98. 

Sheepfold,  entering  the,   112. 

Sheol,    79. 

Shoes,   symbol   of,   317. 

Sibyl,    ancient,    108. 

Sign,  of  Son  of  Man  in  heaven,  39, 
46,  150. 

Silence,  The,  see  Chapter  XXVII;  how 
to  enter,  347-9;  how  to  find  time 
for,  31-3;  how  to,  thoughts,  353; 
several  entering  together,  354. 

Silent,  Keep,  lesson  of,  301;  meaning 
of,  416. 

Silk,   use  of  in  occultism,   308-9. 


Simile  of,  Abraham  Lincoln,  275;  auto- 
mobile, 119;  barnacles  on  ships,  135; 
bough  dislocating  arm,  114;  boy  play- 
ing truant,  285;  bricklayer  and  archi- 
tect, 96;  child  bearing  a  whipping, 
117;  child  illustrating  forgiveness, 
124;  cinders,  199;  circulation  of 
blood,  122-3;  college  acquiring  wis- 
dom, 110;  compost  heap,  323;  diver, 
126;  dynamo  and  wire,  381;  earthly 
and  golden  vessels,  35;  Egyptian 
Priestess,  276;  falling  leaves,  119; 
farmer  enriching  soil,  120;  gardner 
preparing  soil,  380;  gardner  propagat- 
ing poisons,  381;  growth  of  plant, 
348;  growth  of  seed  into  all  kingdoms, 
51;  magnet  broken,  161,  196;  mix- 
ing dough,  41;  mother  nursing  babe, 
311;  painter,  170;  perfume  of  flower, 
351;  personality  as  a  boat,  38;  read- 
ing story,  lacking  sequel,  338;  re- 
moving frog's  heart,  327;  rose  with 
roots  in  air,  311;  running  a  race, 
133;  sacred  shrine,  252;  schoolboy, 
213;  seed  under  rock,  124;  skyrocket, 
192;  stream  over  shoals,  338;  stream- 
lets forming  river,  32;  switchboard, 
177;  tadpole  and  frog,  401,;  telescope, 
36;  training  a  horse,  124;  tree  grow- 
ing in  rock,  33;  tree  uprooted  by 
storm,  42;  unclean  spirits,  87;  wave 
drowning  a  man,  114;  well,  36;  wheat 
and  rye,  120;  wireless  telegraphy, 
285;  wolves'  instincts,  286. 

Sin,   the  man  of,   74;   unpardonable,   99. 

Sinai,    Mt.   law   given   on,   333. 

Sins,    forgiveness    of,     123. 

Six,  meaning  of  number,  367,  415; 
number  of  Nature,  61-2;  symbol  of 
Order  of  the,  28,  60,  415. 

Skin,   coats  of,    182. 

Skyrocket,   192,   201. 

Sodom,  Christ  crucified  in;  symbol  of 
impurity,  78. 

Solomon,  quoted,   72;   Seal  of,  368 

Something,    above    physical    union,    263. 

Son,  becomes  one  with  Father,  373; 
God,  gave  His  only  begotten,  73, 
192-8,  409;  if  you  are  a,  292;  Prodi- 
gal, 122,  287,  291;  work  in  my  vine- 
yard, 280. 

Sons  of  God,  233;  duty  of,  262;  make 
you,  44;  temptation  by,  247;  took 
wives,  261. 

Sons  of  Righteousness,  you  must  be- 
come, 49. 

Soul,  assumes  various  characters,  156; 
chooses  environment,  117,  157;  is 
complex,  123;  man  became  a,  233; 
manifests  its  development,  225;  mascu- 
line, in  female  bodies,  340;  learns 
by,  288;  more  excarnate  than  in, 
159;  must  redeem  emanations,  181; 


Index 


S  oul —  Continued . 

no  lost,  99;   responsible  for  personali- 
ties,   121;   that   which   belongs  to   tne, 
134;  the  Over-,   129;  when,   is  young, 
286;   woman   denied  a,   336. 
Soul-qualities,     object    of     Karma,     83, 

115-6. 
Sound,    most    potent    agent,    408;    place 

of  in  Nature,  358. 

Soundless  Sound,  The,  quoted,   129. 
Spark,    some    project    a,    234. 
Speech,    greatest    of    powers,    174;    man 

acquires,    235;    power    of,    164. 
Sphere,  the  Eighth,  79,  323. 
Spine,  currents  in,  244;  sap  of,  is,  315. 
Spirits,  the   Seven,    186;   seven  unclean, 

87. 

Square,   4   is  number   of   the,   366;   sup- 
plementary  colors   form   a,   359;   sym- 
bol   of    Order    of    the     28,    60. 
Stables,    Augean,    395. 
Standard,   choose   your   divine,   88. 
Standards,   cannot  temporize  with,   258; 
required     of    disciples,    251;     worlds, 
must   be   observed,    253,    262. 
Star,   earth  to   become   a   Pole,   46;   five 
pointed,    366;    fix   gaze   on,   320-9;    in- 
fluence   of    generated    by,    45;     light 
of,     Initiation,     321;     of     Initiation, 
320-1-5;    the    Christ,    154,    327;    your 
ruling,    36. 

Stars,    forces   of   focused   on   the   earth, 
42;   influences   not  malign,   43;    mean- 
ing in  Seal,  414-5. 
Stomachs,    slaves    of    their,    400. 
Stone,  8   is   foundation,   368;   is  broken, 
334;    must    be    cleansed,    339;    of    al- 
chemists,    334;    of    sacrifice,    60;    re- 
jected by  builders,   336;   the  feminine 
defiled,   335;   Two  Tables  of,   Chapter 
XXV. 

Stones,  created  by  man,  172. 
Streak,  the  primitive,  366. 
Stream,  all  are  in  the,  125,  200;  world 

struggling   in,   201. 
Study,    how    to    form    a   class,    418. 
Subconscious,    see    Mind. 
Suffering,    corresponds    to    matter,    212; 
not    sent    by    God,    327;    not    uplift- 
ing  in   itself,    40;    of   the   planet,   40; 
produces    bass    clef,    46;    reason    for, 
48,   212;   relation  to  spiritual   growth, 
212;    result   of,   34,    116. 
Sun,    Alcyone    the    Central,    44;    earth 
being  prepared  to  become  a,  44;   em- 
bodied     in      fruit,      371;      fecundates 
germs,   310;    force   is   masculine,    310; 
metal     gold,     color     orange,     362;     of 
Righteousness,   349;  produces  poisons, 
380;   the   Father-force,   312. 
Swan,   the  black,    128. 
Swastika,    on   Thor's   Hammer,   41. 


Sword,    Angel    of    Flaming,    173,    246-7, 
336. 

Swords,    the   bridge    of,    48. 

Symbol,   meaning  of  a,  413. 

Symbol  of,  Adam  and  Eve,  232,  242-3- 
6;  Adam's  rib,  232;  a  stone,  334; 
Babel,  tower  of,  237;  baptism,  in 
Jordan,  138;  black  swan,  128;  blood, 
189,  190,  326;  brimstone,  80;  burn- 
ing bush,  315;  cinders,  199,  201; 
cross,  57;  cup,  golden,  266;  Daniel 
in  lion's  den,  71;  desert,  315;  diver, 
126;  divine  triangle,  264;  dot  in  cir- 
cle, 332;  Eden,  173;  Egypt,  78;  feet, 
316;  field,  120;  fiery  furnace,  82; 
foot,  308;  fruit  of  tree,  244,  257; 
I  and  i,  127;  Lillith,  261;  Moses  and 
flocks,  315;  Noah's  ark,  237,  263; 
ocean  through  coral,  205;  passover, 
110;  prodigal  son,  122,  287;  Prome- 
theus, 248;  red,  189;  sacred  shrine, 
251;  salt,  81;  school  of  Soul,  134; 
ship,  135;  shoes,  317;  serpent,  244; 
serpent-worship,  249;  Sodom,  78; 
Sons  of  God,  67,  233,  262;  Sword, 
the  Flaming,  173,  246-7,  336;  The 
Order,  413;  thousand,  144,  48,  153, 
239;  thousand  twelve,  54;  tree,  in 
garden,  244,  259,  315,  333;  vipers, 
248;  winged  globe,  128. 
Symbols,  of  Nature,  geometrical,  357. 

Sympathy,   must  not  kill,  390. 


Tasks,    never   beyond   strength,    181. 

Tea,    effect    of,    101. 

Teacher,  appears  when,  71;  incarna- 
tion of  a  great,  163;  must  decide  fil 
ness,  71;  recognized  interiorally,  72; 
responsible  for  teachings,  245;  rules 
of  a  great  385;  who  break  tables 
of  stone,  337;  who  leads  astray,  250; 
who  uses  flattery,  290;  who  the,  is, 

Teachers,    see    Astral;    self    advertised, 

Teaching,  method  of  this  Order,  23; 
seek  your  particular,  298. 

Teachings,  advanced  must  be  pure, 
258;  do  not  accept  unless,  113,  265; 
esoteric  must  be  pure,  251;  false 
astral,  281;  former,  from  Father 
aspect,  27;  founded  on  purity,  251; 
must  be  challenged,  265;  must  be 
proved,  277;  of  this  Order  construc- 
tive, 22;  why  permit  false,  70. 

Tears,  eyes  incapable  of,  390;  role  of, 
389. 

Telegraphy,  wireless,  285. 

Temper,    outward    and    inward,    119. 

Temple,  the  body  a,  98,  215;  the  great 
to  be  erected,  336. 

Temples,  seven  steps  to,   323. 


Index 


Temptation,  all  come  through  love, 
197;  created  in  the  past,  325;  in 
Wilderness,  290;  Masters  passed  all, 
307;  of  Eve  a  test,  245,  257;  of 
Eve  by  Saturn,  247;  of  spiritual 
ambition,  135;  the  first,  291;  the 
second,  292;  the  third,  292;  to  criti- 
size,  92;  unsuspected,  327. 

Ten,  meaning  of   number,   369. 

Test,  humanity's  greatest,  252;  of 
mediumship,  108. 

Testament,  the  New,  journey  of  the 
Soul,  77. 

Testament,  the  Old,  Chaldean  symbols, 
77. 

Testing,  a  period  of,  118,  276;  of  man 
and  planet,  257,  332. 

Theophania,    66. 

I  Thessalonians,  quoted,   86. 

Things,  are  no  little,  369;  importance 
of  little,  369. 

Think,  constructively,   384. 

Thinker,  the   Silent,    129,    130,   302. 

Thor,  Hammer  of,   196. 

Thought,  creates  images,  170;  -forces 
vortices,  258,  303;  is  dual,  171;  law 
of,  170;  power  of,  165;  sex,  vortices 
of,  258;  tends  to  express,  170;  use 
of,  170-1;  while  killing  insects,  404. 

Thought-currents,  from  the  Masters, 
304;  passive  to,  of  environment,  92, 
303;  of  community,  89,  93,  302-3. 

Thought-forces,  elevate,  96. 

Thought-forms,  around  unborn,  224; 
create  personality,  64;  projected  by 
gods,  181;  reincarnate,  387;  you 
create,  217. 

Thoughts,  are  things,  216,  303;  how 
to  keep  pure,  217,  304;  must  be  pure, 
216;  put  on  eating,  399;  responsible 
for,  302-4;  Strive  with  thy,  307. 

Thousand,  the  mystical  hundred  and 
forty-four,  48,  153,  239;  the  twelve 
sealed,  54. 

Three,   meaning  of  number,   366. 

Threshold,  the  Dweller  on  the,  64. 

Thumb,    significance    of,    367. 

II  Timothy,  quoted,   164. 

Tin,  metal   of  Jupiter,   362. 

Tobacco,  effect  of,  101. 

Tolerance,  true,  297-8. 

Tone,    every   in    Nature,    376. 

Torture,  mental  worse  than,  394. 

Touch,  personal,  depends  upon  your- 
self, 421;  fundamental,  22;  how  to 
come  into,  411;  time  for,  429. 

Training,  personal,  how  carried  on, 
23,  282;  of  brain  necessary,  109, 
289. 

Transmutation,  methods  of,  227;  of 
tadpole,  401. 

Transmute,   all   into   goods,   328. 


Tree,  Angel  guards  the,  246;  fruit  of 
the,  244;  of  Life,  259,  315,  333. 

Tremble,   use  of  the  word,   328. 

Trials,  correspond  to  climate,  313-4; 
unsuspected,  327. 

Triangle,  completed  by,  267;  flame  at 
apex,  264;  meaning  of  the,  366;  num- 
bers of  the,  360;  primary  colors  form 
a,  359;  the  interlaced,  367;  us«  in 
seal,  414-5. 

Tribulation,  come  out  of,  85. 

Trinity,  Divine  completes  the,  263; 
Hindu,  Egyptian,  Christian,  414. 

Trouble,  the  result  of,   34. 

Truth,  four  modes  of,  320;  necessity 
for  various  presentations  of,  428. 

Two,    meaning    of    number,    265. 

u 

Union,  perfect  possible,  267-8;  so-called 
"spiritual,"  222;  with  the  Divine, 
73-4. 

Unity,  meaning  of,  285;  realizing  the, 
407. 

Universe,  geometrical  law  of  the,  52. 

Uranus,  influence  in  Aquarius,  40. 


Vacuum,   Nature  abhors,   a,   268. 

Valley,   of   the   shadow   of   death,   87. 

Vampires,    created   by   man,    218. 

Vegetable,   first  appearance  of  the,  210. 

Vegetarians,  how  to  judge;  not  more 
tolerant,  397. 

Vessels,  of  clay  and  gold,  35. 

Vibration,  all  is  composed  of,  375; 
stands  in  the  center,  41;  the  Law  as, 
195. 

Victorious,   you    shall   be,   329. 

Violet,  effect  of,  196,  365;  office  of, 
364;  ruled  by  Mystery  Planet,  364; 
rules  astral  body,  365. 

Vipers,    symbol   of,    248. 

Virgin,  Mary,  psychics  call,  274;  the 
Celestial,  138. 

Virtue,    lapses    from,    251. 

Visions,  symbolic,  aid  in  interpreting, 
25. 

Vitality,  augmented  by,  108;  obsession 
saps,  106. 

Voice,  false  notes  in  the,  377;  how 
to  distinguish,  373;  must  lose  power 
to  wound,  175;  must  penetrate  per- 
sonality, 288;  tones  of  reveal  char- 
acter, 174. 

Voice  of  the  Silence,  quoted,  29,  32, 
86-7,  126,  164,  174-8,  217,  269,  281, 
295,  305-7,  320-4-9,  353-8. 

Vows,  marriage,  three  parties  to,  223; 
must  be  fulfilled,  129,  223;  not  asked 
of  Associate  Students,  422. 


Index 


W 

Wait,   what,   I   for,   300. 

Wall,   around  foot  of  cross,   58. 

Warrior,   pure   thoughts  become  a,   218. 

Wars,   and   rumors   of,    152. 

Water,  Christ  walking  on  the,  38;  is 
illusion,  321;  sea-,  contains,  389;  the 
feminine  force,  effect  of,  310. 

Watt,    Isaac,    276. 

Way,  The  Perfect,  quoted,  333;  I  am 
the,  379,  384,  406. 

Well,   a  deep,   in   each   heart,   36. 

Wheat,   except   a   corn   of   die,   401. 

Wheel,   winged,    128. 

Whipple,   Edward,  quoted,   366. 

Whirlwind,  stand  in  the  heart  of  the. 
202. 

White,   unknown  on  earth,   360. 

Will,  life  will  develop  the,  347,  380; 
power  of  the,  165,  170;  should  con- 
trol doors,  100;  see  free-will. 

Wisdom,  always  accessible,  229;  divine 
gained  through,  67;  object  of  evolu- 
tion, 34;  Religion,  66;  serpent  the 
symbol  of,  241. 

Witnesses,  the  two,  78. 

Wolves,  instincts  alike  in  all,  286. 

Woman,  a  priestess,  253;  demands 
recognition,  338;  field  of  activity  of, 
339;  in  scarlet,  266;  must  free  her- 
self, 254;  negative  pole,  254;  plays 
on  passion,  255;  question,  a  burning 
one,  338;  responsibilities  of,  255; 
suffering  developed  intuition,  250. 
Word,  the,  see  Chapter  XXIX;  crea- 
tive aspect  of,  375-6;  God  spake,  know- 
ing result,  326;  how  to  pronounce, 
376;  made  flesh,  146,  372-3;  the  lost, 
374-5;  voice  of  Higher  Self,  371. 


Words,  boastful,  176;  more  than,  re- 
quired, 384;  power  of,  175;  respon- 
sible for  idle,  176. 

Work,  Great,  of  the  Alchemists,  387; 
not  required  if,  279;  when  given  a 
special,  278. 

Workman,    the    Master,    72. 

Works,   of  our  Father,  380. 

World,  astral,  horrors,  of,  100;  -Chains, 
204;  create  your  Divine,  79;  created 
by,  179;  mental,  is  dual,  209;  not 
redeemed  by  preaching,  96;  of  desire, 
208;  of  thoughtless  action,  212;  the 
Queen  of  this,  260;  the  Soul  and 
Spiritual,  209,  213. 

World-Chains,  see  Chapter  XV;  defi- 
nition of,  206. 

Worry,  cease  to,  95. 

Worship,  definition  of,  36;  never  the 
Masters,  374;  of  serpent,  249;  only 
thing  worthy  of,  37;  thoughts  of 
phallic,  257. 

Worshiping,  what  your  heart  is,  33-7. 


Yellow,  effect  of  flowers  and  foods, 
362;  is  Soul-color;  used  on  altars, 
361;  planet  and  metal,  mercury,  362. 

Yogis,   practices   of   the,    105,    394. 

Yuga,  the  Kali,    152. 


Zanoni,  quoted   100. 
Zero,   meaning  of  the   figure,   365. 
Zoahr,  quoted,  256. 

Zodiac,    houses    of    the,    414;    signs    of 
the  54. 


Letters  from  the  Teacher 

nf  2%  ®rtor  of  tty  15 

Transcribed  by 
HARRIETTS  AUGUSTA  CURTISS.  F.  O.  15 

and 

F.  HOMER  CURTISS.  B.  S..  M.  D.,  F.  O.  15 
Secretary  of  the  Order. 


SECOND  EDITION 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Part  I  The  Masters  of  Wisdom  and  Their  Work. 

Part  II  Concerning  The  Order  of  the  15. 

Part  III  Prayer. 

Part  IV  The  Astral  Plane. 

Part  V  Phenomena. 

Part  VI  Dreams  and  Visions. 

Part  VII  Health  and  Disease. 

Part  VIII  The  Sex  Problem. 

Part  IX  Spiritual  Growth  and  Development. 

Part  X  Miscellaneous. 

New  edition  uniform  with  Qtye  Uotrr  at  3fitfl.    Price  $1.00.  postpaid. 

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Letters  from  the  Teacher 

A  new  edition  of  this  helpful  and  practical  volume  is  now  in  press  and  will 
be  ready  for  sale  on  or  before  January  first,  1913.  The  first  edition  was  sold  out 
in  less  than  a  year  without  a  line  of  advertisement.  Readers  merely  recommended 
it  to  their  friends. 

The  bookmaking  of  the  New  Edition  will  be  far  superior  to  the  first  edition 
and  will  form  a  companion  volume  to  The  Voice  of  Isis. 

EXTRACT  FROM  THE  PREFACE. 

"The  Letters  from  the  Teacher  of  The  Order  of  the  15,  in  answer  to  questions 
from  pupils,  are  of  such  universal  interest  to  seekers  after  Wisdom  that  we  con- 
sider them  far  too  valuable  to  be  confined  merely  to  the  ones  to  whom  they  were 
addressed.  Therefore  we  make  available  extracts  from  the  more  important  ones." 

These  letters  coming  from  earnest  and  intelligent  students  are  just  the  practical 
questions  that  arise  in  the  daily  lives  of  those  who  are  striving  to  live  The 
Christ-life,  hence,  are  helping  to  all  advancing  Souls  who  seek  to  understand  the 
practical  application  of  the  philosophy  of  the  Wisdom  Religion,  to  the  problems 
of  the  daily  life. 

Read  what  that  well-known  Author  and  Lecturer,  Mr.  W.  J.  Colville,  has  to 
say  of  this  volume. 

"Among  the  many  occult  volumes  before  the  public  aiming  to  assist  students 
who  desire  earnestly  to  master  lower  appetites  and  devote  themselves  seriously 
and  successfully  to  the  culture  of  true  spirituality,  I  know  of  none  more  useful 
and  admirable  than  the  work  now  before  me. 

"These  Letters  are  lessons  of  very  high  value,  couched  in  beautiful  but 
simple  language  and  so  compiled  as  to  forcibly  appeal  to  the  many  who  are  sincerely 
and  studiously  seeking  to  bravely  tread  the  Path  to  Higher  Attainment,  but  who 
need  a  faithful  guide  to  help  them  on  the  road,  both  by  shedding  definite  light 
over  the  pathway  and  by  pointing  out  the  dangers  to  be  avoided. 

"The  attitude  maintained  throughout  all  the  essays  is  that  of  a  convinced 
and  confident  Teacher,  but  the  tone  is  never  dogmatic  or  aggressive.  Many 
biblical  and  other  problems  are  handled  clearly  and  convincingly  in  a  manner  that 
shows  the  instructor  to  be  one  sure  of  the  position  taken,  desirous  of  imparting 
helpful  knowledge  to  all  earnest  inquirers,  at  the  same  time  leaving  all  students 
in  full  mental  liberty. 

"That  this  excellent  book  may  achieve  worldwide  fame  and  do  good  to  multi- 
tudes is  the  expectation  as  well  as  the  hope  of  the  present  reviewer,  who  knows 
much  of  the  help  already  furnished  to  many  inquirers  for  further  and  clearer 
views  and  applications  of  truth  through  the  beneficent  agency  of  the  noble  Order 
of  the  75." 

W.  J.  COLVILLE, 
Editor,  Mystic  Light  Library  Bulletin. 

"Another  interesting  contribution  to  the  department  of  occult  science." 

Oregonian,   Portland,   Ore. 

"The  letters  of  advice,  of  which  this  book  is  nearly  full,  bear  every  mark  of 
culture,  of  sincerity,  and  of  a  lofty  thought." 

Argonaut,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

"There  is  no  subject  in  the  book  that  is  not  treated  in  a  manner  so  interesting 
that  it  is  hard  to  lay  it  down,  but  when  the  chapter  on  The  Sex  Problem  is 
reached  there  is  found  some  strong  food  for  a  strong  man  with  a  strong  mind. 
The  tone  of  the  whole  subject  is  Purity. 

"The  reader  cannot  say  it  has  been  merely  pleasant  reading  of  what  he  has 
known  before.  It  is  the  sort  of  a  book  the  student  wants  for  reference,  and  like 
most  of  such  books,  repeated  reading  shows  some  new  idea.  It  carries  its  own 
strength  and  its  own  Truth  on  every  P  pAUL  JQNES|  R  a  ,,. 


The  Soundless  Sound 

BY 

The  Teacher  of  Sty*  ©rter  of  ilf*  15 

A  dainty  book  of  devotion  and  meditation 


EXTRACT  FROM  THE  FOREWORD 

This  little  book  comes  to  you,  dear  reader,  as  a  messenger  winged  with  the 
love  of  the  Master,  Who  would  gather  His  children  from  the  four  winds. 

"To  all  who  are  yearning  for  love  and  understanding,  who  are  weary  of 
waiting  for  the  eventide  when  the  Master  shall  walk  in  His  garden  in  the  cool 
of  the  day  to  meet  His  disciples,  this  little  booklet  is  sent." 


APPRECIATIONS 

"This  is  one  of  those  truly  delightful  works  which  appeal  forcibly  to  all  who 
are  seeking  to  penetrate  below  the  surface  of  existence  and  discover  something 
of  the  deep  life  which  throbs  and  pulsates  through  the  unseen  universe.  The 
transcribers.  Dr.  F.  Homer  and  Harriette  Augusta  Curtiss,  are  clearly  in  touch 
with  some  fertile  source  of  spiritual  enlightenment  whence  they  derive  such  instruc- 
tion as  enables  them  to  be  largely  helpful  to  seekers  along  the  road  to  spiritual 
realization.  As  a  dainty  gift  book,  it  is  a  gem,  beautifully  bound  in  green  silk 
cloth,  stamped  in  gold." — W.  J.  Colville,  Editor  Mystic  Light  Library  Bulletin, 
June,  1912. 

"Its  message  is  of  the  Inner  Voice  that  all  must  hear,  and  its  words  are  full 
of  Spirit  and  Life,  bearing  all  the  marks  of  inspired  utterance.  It  is  a  book  to 
take  with  you  into  the  silences  of  Nature,  these  fair  days,  to  ponder  until  an 
answering  thrill  tells  you  its  work  is  done,  for  the  same  Voice  that  voiced  those 
words,  now  speaks  in  your  own  heart." — Annie  Rix  Militz,  Editor  Master  Mind 
Magazine,  August,  1912. 


Bound  in  green  silk  cloth,   stamped   in   gold.      A  dainty   Christmas  gift. 
Order  now  as  the  edition  is  limited. 

Price  75  cents,  postpaid 
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